Madness Loves Company
by A Reluctant Raconteur
Summary: Teru Mikami was condemned to an eternity of nothingness for his role as Kira. After an immeasurable amount of time, a familiar Shinigami arrives offering Mikami new life in a different world. The world is strange, with man-eating giants and men flying in the sky with grappling hooks. Can Mikami survive this world? Is the world ready for Kira's newest crusade? *SnK manga Spoilers*
1. A Second Chance

Pain, regret, misery, this was all Mikami could feel. His failure still haunted him now, after what seem like eons in this place. When Teru had glanced over the Death Note's rules, it had mentioned that a human that used it could go to neither Heaven nor Hell. Instead, in one of the conversations he had had with the Death God called "Ryuk", he had been informed that his final fate would be an eternity of nothingness. The Shinigami hadn't lied; he indeed was trapped in what felt like nothingness. The surroundings were nothing but pure white, like an unpainted canvas. In the earlier years Mikami had searched for even a hint of colour, but he had never found any. The only thing that had any colour other than white in this room was Teru himself. The landscape was as white as paper.

At first Mikami refused to believe his fate, the mere idea that this was his eternity scared the prosecutor immensely. This, coupled with his failure, proved to an ever-present problem to Mikami's mental health. As the years began to pile on the lawyer became less and less sane. Those were hard years, at first he had torn into his hands with his teeth. All he wanted was a different colour, the red proved soothing at first however it wasn't enough.

The once fanatical disciple of Kira began to believe he wasn't real, so he took to more extreme measures to prove his existence. During those years he pulled out all of fingernails on a regular occurrence, and he ripped every last strand of hair from his head. The pain was still very much real, but confirmed to the Teru that he was too. After an immeasurable amount of time he regained his sanity. Or at least, he didn't harm himself anymore.

Then the regret began to seep into his head. It wasn't regret for his actions; even after all of this he smiled when he thought of them. He felt at peace knowing that, even though he currently suffered for it, that he had made the world a better place for a short period of time. He felt regret, knowing that he had ultimately failed to delete evil. While he had barely regained his sanity there were still slips into the quagmire of lunacy. His mind took to creating apparitions for him to converse with, or perhaps the visions were real. He had no way of telling. The first had been his God, Light Yagami. He had begged his God to free him from his own personal hell.

"My God, please!" Mikami had cried begging the vision before him "Save me! Free me from this place!"

The spirit had laughed "You still believe that Mikami? After all this time? Think, how could I have been defeated if I was a God? No, I was just a human, and you? You were just an idiot, who grabbed on to the idea of Kira with all you could. Now you are just a sorry mess, nobody cares for you and nobody wants you. Even Hell has no place for you."

And with those words, the phantom had vanished leaving Mikami alone. It left him alone with nothing but shame. It seemed so obvious now, Gods were infallible. Why would Light need his help to do anything? His fanaticism and blind devotion had been his downfall. His naivety had led to his current predicament. This simple fact had enraged Mikami, who had cursed and yelled. He had hit the ground with his fists in anger and desperation. That was when the second apparition had appeared. It was none other than his mother.

"Mother," Mikami had uttered not truly believing the sight before him "is that you?"

The spirit had nodded sadly at him "Yes Teru, it is me. I am very disappointed in you. I was awaiting your arrival in heaven. You were such a good child, I was certain you and I would be reunited. I waited years, but yet you never came. Finally I found you, but not how I wanted."

"But Mother," Mikami had protested, desperately trying to defend himself from his mother "I am still good, I did what I did for the benefit of Mankind. Surely you can understand that? I am not evil!"

The spirit had shaken its head "Teru Mikami, was a good and kind boy. He fought to defend his classmates from bullies; he refused to back down in front of what he though was wrong. Even when his mother scolded him for it. Teru Mikami was a hardworking and regimented man; he kept himself in good shape and fought to put criminals in jail in a lawful way. Teru Mikami was a human being. You are not Teru Mikami, you are not my son! You are Kira, an evil that devoured my boy! You aren't good, and you deserve your current fate!"

And with that Teru's mother had disappeared, leaving only Mikami once more. He had been in shock for quite some time; he hadn't been prepared for his mother to truly disown him in such a way. He could feel a lone tear trailing down his cheek, but he quickly rubbed it off. His mother had never truly understood his way of doing things, he was glad when she died when he was younger. He still, however, couldn't shake the feeling of pain in his heart. It was at this point another two apparitions had appeared. It was himself when he was a child and himself before he had begun to be influenced by Kira.

The younger version had spoken first "Truly despicable, that we once were the same person. How could someone so evil have come from me?"

Mikami had angrily responded "I am not evil! I defended the innocent from the evil of criminals. You should be proud of me!"

The older apparition had scoffed "Proud, of a criminal? Please, you are no different from the filth we once fought to lock up. No, in fact you are worse. At least the criminals don't pretend that they are anything better."

At this point Mikami had broken down, tears freely flowing from his cheeks. He had fallen to the ground in a foetal position. This entire ordeal had been too much for him to bear. He had cried for what felt like an hour, his eyes were red and sore. Not once had the spirits moved. Instead they looked at him with a mixture of disgust and shame. Disgust as they looked at the monster before them. Shame as they had contributed to the monster before them.

It was at this point the fifth apparition had appeared; it was inherently different from the rest. It had looked exactly like him, except for the red Shinigami Eyes burning brightly as it scanned the other two apparitions. It had propped Teru up, allowing him to stand once more. Then it too spoke.

"Take no notice of them," the Kira Mikami apparition began "they are just as evil as they say you are. They too wish to interfere with justice; both of them are inferior versions of you. They are injustice!"

At this point the previous two apparitions looked visibly disturbed by the newest apparition before them. The Kira apparition leaned beside Mikami's ear before speaking.

"But not us," it spoke slowly enunciating every syllable "we are different, for we are justice!"

And with that all the apparitions vanished leaving only Mikami again, the man was calm now. His belief in himself and his ideals had been restored. Perhaps he had been foolish for believing Light was a God, but he hadn't been foolish for believing his ideals. The reasoning was wrong, but the motives were right. He had finally corrected that reasoning. The Kira apparition had either turned tha man sane, or returned him to madness. Time would tell which.

All of these events had led to his current state. Now Mikami did little but stare, waiting for something. He was waiting for something, he wasn't sure what. But, despite his uncertainty, he felt a need to wait. After what felt like eons of sitting patiently he was rewarded. A familiar Shinigami appeared.

"Hey Mikami," said the Death God staring at the prosecutor with his omnipresent grin "how's it been?"

Mikami looked up "What have you come here for? What do you want from me? Haven't you ruined my existence enough?"

Ryuk raised his hands in defence "Hey Mikami, that's no way to treat an old friend. Anyways I came to make you an offer. I think you'll like it."

Teru stared interestedly at the Shinigami "Go on, what is the offer?"

"A second life for you, memories intact and you get a new Death Note as well as Shinigami Eyes. Better yet if you end up dying naturally in this life you won't be subject to this nothingness again. A free guaranteed trip to heaven for you, all expenses paid."

It would have been a lie for Mikami to say he wasn't interested. A second chance to protect justice was enticing alone. However this heap of benefits couldn't come without a cost. As life had taught him "You never get anything for free."

"What are the terms of this offer?" asked Mikami.

The Shinigami's eyes glowed "You can't use the Death Note without finding a willing accomplice or partner. And you also won't be reincarnated into the world you left. Instead you will be born in a different world."

Mikami nodded "Those terms are acceptable, as long as I can escape this wretched place."

The Shinigami smiled in confirmation "If you accept my offer you will have to deal with me watching what you are up to. I will be watching from the side-lines however, the Shinigami World is still quite dull; such quality entertainment like you, it's quite to come by."

Mikami was however confused, despite his gratitude at having the luck to have a second chance at life he could only think about one thing.

" _Why did he choose me?" Teru thought to himself "Go-Light would have been a far better choice."_

Teru decided to ask this "Why did you choose me Ryuk? Surely Light would have been a more entertaining choice?"

The Shinigami shook his head "Well you see I'm not allowed to have Light reincarnated. He is in a rather tight spot with the old man, he is forced to relive the deaths of everyone he killed using the Death Note. He isn't getting out of that anytime soon. So I got you, the next best thing. I bribed the King with fifteen apples to revive you, so please be worth it."

Mikami nodded "Oh and one last thing before we agree to this, how long has it been since I died?"

Ryuk chuckled "You have been dead for four hundred and twenty three years."

Mikami knew that he had been gone for a long time, but hearing that he had been gone that long was shocking. He supposed it was a side effect of this place, there was no perception of time here. Everything stayed the exact same, there were never any discrepancies. If there was Teru was confident he would notice, he was a observant man.

Ryuk spoke again "So what do you say? Please accept, I already paid my fifteen apples to the King. If you don't accept I will have to reincarnate Misa, please don't make me do that. She is annoying and won't last long in the world I will have you sent to."

Mikami smiled, for the first time in centuries, "Very well I accept, you have my permission to reincarnate me."

Ryuk was giddy with joy "Excellent, if you are confused about things during your time in this world ask me. I will tell you what you need to know. Make no mistake this world is certainly different to your own. It is far more dangerous."

Mikami voiced his acknowledgement "I understand, but being here is worse than any other fate."

The Death God laughed once more, before extending his hand towards Teru. The prosecutor accepted it without hesitation, eager to escape the prison where he had spent the last four centuries. And before he even knew what was happening everything went dark for Mikami, with one thought left his mind. One thought that screamed at him inside his head relentlessly.

" _In this world there is only good and evil, and all evil must be deleted. There is no moral grey, and no mercy can be shown."_

* * *

When Mikami awoke, he could see Ryuk had been very literal about him being "reborn". Needless to say, he was a lot smaller and weaker than he once was. He could see the face of his mother. While a regular new born wouldn't be able to understand what the shouts and confusion meant, Teru did. The look of pure exhaustion on the woman who had birthed him confirmed it all; she was dying from the strain of having him. Mikami didn't feel sad; the woman had served her purpose. She was at peace now, free from the corruption of the world. There was no greater gift.

The building looked very medieval in appearance, with large wooden beams and a heavily wooden floor. The doctors didn't particularly look very modern either, with one wearing what appeared to be a coat with a primitive stethoscope. He turned to his colleague.

"We have lost the mother; we will have to put this new-born up for adoption. Record the death of the mother as follows: June 7th Year 822." said the doctor with glasses who was shaking his head.

"But Grisha, who will look after the boy?" asked Grisha's colleague, a short man who looked to be nearing the end of his career.

"I remember one of the Wall Cullt priests was asking to take on a new protégé. Perhaps he'll raise the boy as his own." answered Grisha, turning to look at the child he was holding.

"Hmm… what should we call you little one?" Grisha began pondering the child's name "Mrs Ackerman told me a bit about her language and the names they gave. We shall call you Teru, Teru Mikami that will be your name. Do you like that name?"

Mikami stared disinterestedly at the doctor before him; he decided that he would give no indication of his intelligence. So he merely stared dumbly at the man, who took his silence as a positive answer. He felt himself slowly being carried outside to whatever civilisation awaited him, it was a daunting prospect. However, Teru was confident that he was prepared for life in this world. The first thing that struck when he went outside was a massive structure. The walls, they were at least one hundred feet tall!

" _The Death God wasn't lying, this place is different to Earth."_


	2. The Perfect Accomplice

The year was 843; it had been twenty one years since Teru had been reborn into this new world. It had been hard to get used to at first; the town he was in was much different to Tokyo. Shiganshina was its name; it was an outlying district from Wall Maria. The walls, they certainly were impressive. Spanning two hundred and fifty kilometres, they awed even Teru. This was a feat in itself, considering he had wielded one of the most destructive things known to man. Nevertheless, the walls weren't just décor for the city; they protected humanity from the titans. Man-eating giants, vicious and almost unstoppable, Mikami hadn't believed in them at first. However the atmosphere of fear and paranoia regarding the existence of these creatures proved to Mikami that they did exist. It was of little consequence, they were kept safely at bay by the mighty walls that protected humanity.

The last twenty years had been quiet interesting for Teru; he had amalgamated into society perfectly. Nobody even suspected that he was odd; he was a member of the Wall cult. Fanatic fools, who believed that the walls were divine beings. They believed that they were sacred places. They strived to keep them free from rails, humans and cannons. It was hypocritical of him, he had once worshiped a boy with a god complex, but he still believed the zealots were idiots. The cult served its purpose however, it provided Teru the respect and position he needed.

The priest that had looked after him, Johannes Mueller, had passed away when Teru was eighteen. As most priests didn't like going to the Shiganshina district, too close to the titans, Teru was the only candidate to succeed him. He was grateful for his position; he held extreme influence over the entirety of the district. He was the only senior religious figure left this side of Wall Maria, in matters of spiritual guidance he was king.

The people were so religious here, as a result of the fear of the man eating monsters outside, that he was guaranteed a full parish every time he held a sermon. Sermons were held daily by Reverend Mikami, as they called him, where he taught the people useless drivel about the walls. However they listened without complaint, he could see in their eyes they didn't listen to him because they believed in the walls divinity. No, they listened because they respected him.

Mikami had developed a reputation for being an excellent scholar, to the people of Shiganshina, it seemed he knew everything. Problems regarding logistics or organisation were often directed to him; even now his organisational skills were peerless. He kept stock of the district's food supply, as well as the manpower and supplies of the Garrison. In regards to the Garrison, their allocated amount of soldiers was quite small. The wall was massive, so not every part of it was watched, however Shiganshina was an outlying district; and was the district most often attacked by titans.

He didn't have command of the guards, but he may as well have. Their commander was an incompetent fool, by the name of Hannes. He was a drunkard, and mostly illiterate. Thus the Garrison's logistics depended entirely on Teru, records and transfers couldn't be filled in by anyone else. Hannes didn't have a last name, being the illegitimate child of the town's biggest businessman and the baker's wife. Of course, only Mikami knew that. His knowledge of Shiganshina was massive, many people came in to confess to him daily. Usually after a sermon, and because of this he had learned many things about the district from these confessions. They were incredibly useful.

Teru also during his time in this world scanned constantly for a potential accomplice, Ryuk hadn't appeared much. And he hadn't once spoken to Mikami, although the Death God did say that if he wanted to know something, just ask. His main problem in finding an accomplice was intelligence and moral character. There were a few intelligent people he had seen during his many sermons; none had the morals necessary for a new Kira.

Unfortunately most that were intelligent here were corrupt, rich businessmen who only cared for their own success. He had met a few people who had the morals, but all of them were not intelligent enough to become the next Kira. He had met most if not all of the adults in this district; it was becoming increasingly apparent that none of them fit the criteria for being another Kira. Each and every one was flawed, in some way, shape or form. He was going to have to groom a Kira, and find a child that was suitable; someone who was impressionable, intelligent and idealistic.

This brought Mikami to the present, during one of sermons. He looked around to see his congregation, all of them were praying as he instructed. Each and every one was taught by him to pray by themselves at the end of his sermons. They were to pray and forget their suffering and beg forgiveness for their sins. He surveyed the room with his Shinigami Eyes, noting the Jaeger family. The Jaeger family was composed of Grisha and Carla Yeager, along with their two children: Eren Yeager, and Mikasa Ackerman. Mikasa was adopted; the story of her parent's death was tragic. It was yet another example of criminals ruining the lives of the innocent. He also heard the story of Eren's heroism as well as that of Mikasa's, having taken it upon themselves to delete the trio of scum.

He had considered grooming Eren to be the next Kira, but the boy wasn't very smart. He was also too brash and impulsive, worse yet his sister was far too protective. She absolutely adored the boy, as he grew her protective nature would also grow. Their was no way he could separate the two. He was an unsuitable candidate, and his sister was unsuitable as well.

As Teru surveyed the area he saw an unfamiliar pair of faces; an old man, probably in his sixties or seventies. He was wearing a straw hat, with a green scarf. He was talking to a small boy. The boy had long blonde hair, and was wearing typical clothing for children. The boy was probably six or seven, but his blue eyes betrayed his intelligence. Teru made a note to speak to them after the congregation have left, this was the first time they had attended one of his sermons. He cleared his throat and began to speak.

"May the Walls bless each and protect every one of you; I wish everyone a safe journey home. Please endeavour to stay safe and be sure to keep yourselves heated; it shall be a bitter winter this year. The frost will chill one to the bone. Gooday, I bid you all farewell." spoke Mikami, commanding the attention of the room.

Teru focused on the Grandfather and the young boy, he decided he would make their acquaintance. Fortunately, the pair seemed to want to do so as well. The older man grasped his grandson's hand before gently leading him to meet Mikami. The older man smiled warmly, which Mikami responded to with a warm smile of his own.

"A pleasure to meet you Mr Arlert." said Mikami with a smile on his face "Did you enjoy my sermon?"

The older man looked confused before speaking "Yes I did, how you know my name? This is the first time we have been to one of your congregations."

Teru smiled "Mr Arlert, I know the names of everyone in this district. As you may have heard I handle the stocks of food. That includes rationing for each citizen, including yourself and young Armin there." To emphasize his point he gestured to Armin.

The elder Arlert accepted it without complaint "Ok then, well as you can imagine I am not a very religious sort. If I am to be honest, I don't mean to offend you, but I don't believe the walls are holy. But Armin here is very interested in religion, he is an avid reader. He soaks up information like sponge does water."

Mikami smiled in a friendly manner "He does look like a very bright boy, pray tell, what age is he?"

Mikami was quite manipulative, he was going to analyse every piece of knowledge he would receive about the child. And he was going to do this in lieu of consulting records he held. Besides, it was better to hear it from someone who knew the child.

"Armin here is eight years old; he is a bit small for his age. Makes up for his short size with his large brain, the boy is a genius for his age. Well, I am his grandfather, so I might be a bit biased. He is a little shy, but once you get to know him, he'll talk to you all day long."

"Is that so?" asked Mikami "Well then, I'll try and get to know him."

The elder Arlert looked at the positioning of the sun before speaking "How about I leave you two to speak for a while? I have some errands to run. I know I can trust you with him Reverend Mikami; you have a great reputation around town. Armin isn't a problem child; he won't so much a make a noise without you talking to him."

Mikami smiled before nodding "That is quite alright, I can look after your grandson until then."

The elder Arlert nodded his thanks, before swiftly leaving the parish. Mikami turned to look at Armin. The boy looked quite tense, probably because he had never met Teru before. He could be quite intimidating at first sight, mostly because of his cold nature and glare.

He kneeled down in front of the child before smiling "You're a nervous boy are you? Don't worry, I don't bite my son. What was the question you wanted to ask?"

Armin spoke "Do you know what happens to bad people when they die?"

Mikami observed the child; he had a couple of bruises on arms. The poor child was probably a victim of bullying; no wonder he wanted to meet the town's religious figure. He would be brutally honest; hopefully it would comfort the child and enlighten him.

"After they die, they are condemned to an eternity of suffering. They are burned alive in furnaces hotter than lava or molten iron. They freeze in blocks of ice colder than the forests in winter and are permanently tortured by regret for their actions." explained Mikami.

The boy nodded "But shouldn't they get a second chance? If they regret their actions, can't they try again?"

Mikami chuckled "I am afraid not Armin, once they have committed the sins, they are doomed if they don't repent immediately. Besides that, bad people like criminals ruin the world."

"If all the criminals and bad people were to die, would the world be a better place?" asked Armin, curious as to what Mikami's answer would be.

Mikami nodded affirmatively "The world would be a place where no one would suffer. No one would die before their time."

"But what about the titans, would they still be there?" asked Armin inquisitively.

Mikami's eye twitched, the titans were a major threat to his plans. He had yet to see one, but their presence was felt everywhere. Needless to say, one of Mikami's greatest problems was meeting his end at a titan's hand. Or mouth, either way, they were a serious problem for Mikami.

"The titans will still be there, but humanity will finally be united. We won't destroy ourselves from the inside. The military police will no longer be needed, and we can unite our entire efforts towards fighting the titans! Humanity will no longer live in fear of the enemies outside, and the ones within!" said Mikami passionately, feeling justice and his hunger for it surging through him.

Armin nodded enthusiastically smiling "That sounds like a world I want to live in."

Mikami looked at the child, he turned away gesturing for the child to follow him. The boy did so dutifully, walking after the Fourth Kira. Mikami gestured for the child to stop, before opening a door and looking for something inside. After a minute of undoing the locks he placed on it, he revealed a book. Not the Death Note, Ryuk would give that to him when he found an accomplice.

It was the book where he kept a list of all those who had been killed by criminals. He had extensive records of everyone living and dead, after all he oversaw their cremation or burial. He took the time to record their deaths into his records, along with who killed them. It was a massive reserve of names, once Mikami got the Death Note, their killers would be deleted. The book reminded him of his purpose here.

He gave the book to the child before speaking "In that book are the names of everyone who has been killed by bad people."

The boy read the book, swallowing its contents before looking up "Are the bad people gone now?"

Mikami frowned "They are in jail, but they have gotten away with the most evil of crimes."

Armin shook his head "But that can't be right, shouldn't they have the same thing done to them?"

Mikami nodded "Yes they should, but most get away with it. They aren't sorry for what they have done, and would do it again. It isn't right is it?"

Armin shook his head "It isn't right at all, it's… it is evil!"

Mikami nodded solemnly "You are right, it is evil. If we had true justice, each and every criminal would be dead. That way, no one else would become one, and the criminals who were in prison could no longer harm people."

Mikami was impressed; the child was following him in conversation. His grandfather was right; he was smart for his age. The boy had made quite the impression on Teru; he seemed to have a good understanding of what true justice was. He was perfect for the next Kira. Yes… this boy would be his accomplice. There was no worthier person; the boy would have the honour of judging those who were evil.

Not now however, for he was still young. Far too young to be killing, Mikami would give the Death Note to him when he was older. To facilitate any of this Mikami needed to get close to the child and become influential. Like the father figure he never had, and he also needed to gain his trust. And he knew how to do it with but one action.

"I will pay those bullies a visit," thought Mikami to himself "they won't touch him if I deal with them. And he will be grateful to me."

He decided that he should ask Armin if he was being bullied, that way Armin knew Teru was dealing with them for his sake. That would ensure he gained the maximum amount of trust and influence with him.

Mikami spoke "Armin, are you being bullied?"

The boy immediately looked to the ground "A bit, they sometimes push me around and take my books. But Eren and Mikasa always come to help me, they make the bullies run away. Especially Mikasa, she can be kind of scary."

Eren Yeager and Mikasa Ackerman? So, he had two more rivals for influence over Armin. He didn't mind the boy being with the pair, he needed social interaction to develop. However, the Yeager child was a dangerous influence. He knew the boy idolised the Survey Corps, he had seen him rushing to see their wounded come back from another failed expedition. If he joined it when he was older, it was certain Mikasa would join. But if Armin joined, it would be detrimental to his plans. The possibility of losing the only person he had met who was worthy of the mantle of Kira was too large. He needed the boy safe, he would have to monitor their relationship.

Mikami looked sympathetically at the boy "Armin, what are the boy's names?"

Armin looked up, somewhat teary eyed "Dieter Hass, Max Amsel and Alex Bauer."

Mikami knew the parents of each of those children, and he had seen the children as well. They would be dealt with, either by him or their parents. They would pray that it was their parents, Mikami abhorred bullies. He had since the days he was first in school. He wouldn't allow such behaviour in his congregation.

At that point Mr Arlert returned he looked weary, but seemed happy all the same. He nodded thankfully in Mikami's direction. He took his straw hat off before beckoning to the boy to come over to him. Armin nodded, but turned to Mikami and handed him the book back.

"Thank you for teaching me about criminals and the justice system, Reverend Mikami." thanked Armin, with a smile on his face.

Mikami nodded back "It was my pleasure; you can come around and speak to me anytime. If you want, I need a helper around the parish. I can tutor you, and in exchange you can help me keep the parish in order."

The boy turned to his Grandfather "Can I grandpa, please?"

The man smiled "That sounds like a great idea; Reverend Mikami is a very smart man. I am sure you would learn a lot from him. Of course only if he is ok with it?"

"But of course Mr Arlert, it would be my pleasure to tutor Armin. He has the makings to be a great person, I am positive he will do something great when he grows up."

The old man nodded before putting his hat on "Come along Armin, we still have tend to the crops. We only have a few more hours left of sunlight. The winter won't be good to them, but we have to make sure we get some food over the winter."

The man made his way out of the parish and Armin followed him before stopping to look at Mikami.

"Goodbye Reverend Mikami." said Armin jovially, before turning to follow his grandfather.

"Farewell Armin." said Mikami waving before turning to the altar.

He smiled, the boy had serious potential. He and Mikami were going to cleanse this world of the wretched villains that inhabited it. It may take a bit more work than it did in his previous life, but Mikami was confident that they together could cleanse the world.

A familiar Shinigami floated beside Mikami "Find anyone good Teru?"

Mikami turned around with a maniacal grin "Yes, he's perfect."


	3. Unforseen Circumstances

The year was 845; it had been two years since Teru Mikami had first met Armin Arlert. In those two years he had solidified the grasp he had on the child, the boy felt indebted to him for his intervention in his bullying situation. Nikami's lessons also similarly bonded the child to him. In return for Teru's help, the boy made sure that he was constantly paying attention in Teru's lessons. The child viewed Mikami as both one of his best friends and the father he had never truly had. Teru was happy to play that role in the boy's life, as Armin was like the friend and son he had never had.

Mikami spent his time when not involved in "sacred" acts and sermons tutoring the boy. This served two purposes; it nurtured the boy's growing intelligence, and also allowed Mikami to pass on to Armin his ideals and view of the world. This would ensure the boy would make an excellent Kira; Mikami had begun instilling a merciless and unbendable view of justice into the boy. He hoped that the boy would, because of his indoctrination under himself, become just as hungry for justice and as incorruptable as he was. However, while two years had passed, it was still early days for the boy's journey towards becoming the Fifth Kira.

"Reverend Mikami?" asked Armin, pulling the former lawyer from his imagination "What does this mean?"

The boy gestured to the book in front of him, it was written in Latin. Mikami had never been much of a linguist in his previous life, but he had learned several things in his time in this world. As a whole the people of this world spoke German, or at least some vaguely similar language or variation of it. The more educated members of society also spoke German, so there was no language barrier between the poor and the wealthy.

However, a large amount of text and scripture was written in Latin as the books had been preserved from times before the walls, so many scholars and members of the Wall Cult had access to the tools necessary to learn Latin so that they could educate themselves. Teru had thought it prudent to teach the language to Armin, allowing the child access to some of the more advanced textbooks and the knowledge that they held.

He observed the text before speaking "The text is read as "Cui bono?" It refers to an ancient Latin legal phrase which translates as "Who benefits?" It means that whoever benefits most from a crime, for example a corrupt merchant in the case of forged ledgers and holdings, is most likely the culprit."

Armin nodded processing the information "What do you think? Is that true in your experience?"

Mikami smiled, the child was always so curious. His thirst for knowledge was extreme, and it synergised well with the Armin's talkative nature with those he trusted. The only problem with the boy was that he could get distracted; Teru hoped he would be able to get rid of that problem. Luckily for the young Arlert, Teru was more than happy to answer his questions.

"It is an excellent way to make to educated guess, or establish the premises for the motive of the crime. However, the world is a corrupt place. Men and women commit crimes for inconceivable reasons, reasons that men spend their lives trying to uncover. It can be quite suprising whenever the true culprit is uncovered. Regardless it is a waste of time to understand a criminal's motive past prosecuting him." said Mikami

He paused making sure theat the boy was following him "Once that has been accomplished, it is only fit for the scum to be removed. It is like when a wound on your arm has been infected and gone gangrene. You don't attempt to keep the arm nor do you try look after it. Instead you amputate the limb, saving the rest of the body from death. In the same way, a criminal must be removed permanently from society. They are killed to benefit the citizens of the kingdom. Their deletion helps society as a whole, their eradication will ensure the longevity of justice's reign. "

Armin nodded understanding the prosecutor's words "Do you live by any Latin phrase?"

"I do indeed," said Mikami solemnly "I live by the phrase "Transit umbra, lux permanet."

"What does that mean Reverend?" asked Armin, his voice full of curiosity.

"It means Shadow passes, light remains. I see it as a metaphor for the world, the corruptness of this place will vanish in time. Once the world is purified and true justice has been achieved, then and only then innocence and purity can remain undisturbed. It is a world that I will strive for." answered Teru

The boy nodded before continuing on the exercises Teru had prepared for him, it was a sunny day today. The sun was splitting the stones on the ground, Teru was sweltering in his ecclesiastical robes. Teru tutored Armin for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. The boy's lessons started at ten O'Clock and finished at twelve O'Clock allowing Armin to get lunch and see his friends. Then his lessons started again at four O'Clock and concluded at six O'Clock. It could be rather hard to keep track of time in this world, watches hadn't been invented yet. In fact clocks were in a rather primitive state as well, the main way of telling the time was a sundial. This was a problem for the majority of the citizenship, as the poorer members of society didn't have the funds to buy a sundial nor the knowledge to make a crude one.

So Teru had made apparent, in one of his many sermons, that he would ring the bells to signal the passing of an hour. The citizenry could estimate from the positioning of the sun as to what the time was. It was basic and not particularly effective way of telling the time, but considering the tools at his disposal Teru thought it acceptable. It was five minutes to eleven, so Mikami decided he would need to go and ring the bells.

"Armin, I am going to ring the bells. I will be back shortly." said Teru, already turning to ascend the staircase to the bell tower.

"Ok Reverend Mikami." acknowledged Armin, before returning to his work.

As Mikami ascended the staircase, he noticed the second shadow. It was definitely non-human, it was hunched over and floating, so it was easy to identify. He turned around to look at the Death God who had made a rare appearance. The Shinigami smiled as usual, floating behind the Fourth Kira. But he moved with more urgency than usual. Nevertheless there was an unspoken agreement between the two; they would speak once they reached the top of the bell tower.

As Mikami finished climbing the stairs and reached the bells, he turned to look at the Shinigami. The Death God seemed serious, well as serious as someone like Ryuk could get, and he also seemed to want to say something.

"Ryuk," asked Teru "what is the matter?"

The Shinigami spoke "I came here to warn you, you know I won't take any sides in this fight you are going to have, but I can't have you dying so early into the game. You haven't even started killing!"

Mikami focused on the Death God "Warn me of what? What's going to happen?"

The Death God continued "You would have noticed it if you had gone out today, that boy of yours wouldn't have given any clues. Do you even know how to calculate a human's time of death? It is actually really easy; we Shinigami usually make it seem harder than it looks like. The number above their head is actually their date of death multiplied by five. So, if a person was to die on the fifth of November 884, the numbers would read as 25554420 with an addition four numbers at the end. You can calculate the hour by looking at the final four numbers, which are not related to the rest. These numbers are the time of death in a twenty four hour clock." The Shinigami stopped, realising he had gone off topic "Anyways, more than half of the town's lives are going to end in a few hours."

Mikami eyes widened in surprise "What? That isn't possible, how? There is no way that half the town could die so quickly there isn't a plague or a famine!"

Ryuk shrugged his shoulders "I don't know much other than that Mikami, my guess is that somethings or someone is going to kill them. I'd say you will have your hands full today. It will be interesting to watch anyway."

Mikami started analysing the situation; half of the town's population was going to die. What could kill half of the district? It couldn't be plague, nor could it be famine. With those two causes ruled out, there was only one thing that could cause such widespread death. Humanity's worst enemy. Titans. Mikami didn't know how, nor did he know where, but somehow the titans were going to breach the wall in a few hours. This was troubling news; there was no way he could save half the population. But he could make sure Armin, his grandfather and his friends survived the ordeal about to befall the town. He would have to set about making preparations immediately.

"Thank you Ryuk," said Mikami with gratitude "your help is appreciated."

The Death God nodded lazily before disappearing from sight. Mikami turned and rung the bells, this signalled the passing of the hour. But they were also like a death chime for the district. Once the bells had been rung, Mikami all but ran down the stairs back to Armin. He needed to protect the child, there was no way he would survive the titans on his own.

Armin looked up seeing Teru walking into the room suddenly. It concerned the boy immensely, Teru was the father he had never really had and was also one of his best friends. He was also a very stoic and calculating man, he did everything calmly and in a controlled fashion. Running was out of character for him. The Reverend seemed uncharacteristically distressed, so Armin voiced his concern.

"Is everything alright Reverend Mikami?" asked Armin, his voice showing his worry for the Fourth Kira.

"Armin, listen to me and listen to me now!" spoke Mikami sharply, his voice commanding the boy's attention. It was important that Armin did as Teru said.

The boy nodded, suddenly quite scared by the Wall Priest's change in behaviour. Teru had never acted this way around him before.

"Go find your friends Eren and Mikasa and their family as well as your grandfather, bring them here immediately!" commanded Mikami frantically. Despite having a few hours notice, the entire situation was still scaring the prosecutor slightly.

Armin jumped up without question, nodded to show his understanding, and immediately ran off to complete the prosecutor's command.

Mikami rushed outside after Armin before stopping to scan the street, the bustle of people was quite large. But they all shared one thing in common; their deaths were coming within four hours. Ryuk's warning was correct. Something had changed; most of them had years or decades left yesterday. If he could remember correctly, which he was confident he could. But Ryuk and Teru's Shinigami Eyes confirmed it; five hours were all most of them had left. Mikami calmed himself before walking back into the parish; he would make preparations for the abandonment of the district. He would have to pack up the ledgers and records of the district. It wouldn't do to lose them.

There was also another pressing concern. While Armin wouldn't ask questions about Teru's foresight, he held Mikami too dear to even question the Fourth Kira; Mikasa, Eren, Grisha, Carla and possibly Mr Arlert would ask questions. He would have to prepare a lie, something that would convince them. And he only had five hours to do so. Regardless Mikami would do it, he hadn't failed yet in this world, and he would be damned if he did it now.

* * *

Armin rushed to find Eren and Mikasa; he remembered that they said they were going to gather sticks today. He and his grandfather went to the same area to collect sticks as well. If he wasn't too late, he could probably catch them before they left. Unfortunately for Armin, fate has a habit of throwing a spanner in the works.

Armin suddenly felt his back collide with the wall, his vision blurry and disorientated from the pain and sudden movement Armin couldn't see what had happened. The voices, however, confirmed that he hadn't tripped.

"Where are you going Arlert?" asked Max Amsel, the leader of the trio of Armin's former bullies.

"Let go of me Max!" said Armin struggling in the larger boy's grasp "I have to be somewhere."

Max laughed before delivering a hard punch to Armin's gut which winded the boy. Amsel let go of Armin, causing him to slowly fall to the ground in pain. He turned to look at his friends who found the younger boy's suffering equally hilarious.

"You think you're so tough because Reverend Mikami looks after you? Well guess what? You aren't. He isn't here now is he?" taunted Amsel, taking delight in his bullying.

As Amsel raised his fist for another hard blow, rapid footsteps and shouting could heard. To Armin's delight, his friend Eren could be seen running to help him. That meant something else as well, where Eren was Mikasa wasn't far away.

Amsel and his friends began taunting Eren and muttering to themselves.

"You'd think he would have learned."

"He is going to learn this time."

"Let me handle him."

As Armin predicted, Eren's adopted sister could be seen running behind him. As Armin had said many times, she could be quite scary. The sight of her was more than enough to scare Amsel, Hass and Bauer away. With them quickly deciding that Armin wasn't worth it, nothing was worth a beating from Mikasa, and running away as fast as their legs could carry them. There was nothing more dangerous than an angry Mikasa to those boys.

With the bullies' departure, Armin was quickly helped to his feet by a worried Eren. Eren was always worried about Armin; this was made worse by the fact that Eren didn't see Armin as much as he used to do. At one point the trio of friends spent the whole day together from dusk till dawn. They were all inseperable, each one was never far from the others. However his tutoring with Mikami took up a large portion of the friends' time with each other. Eren's overprotective nature in regards to Armin stemmed from his worry about the boy's physique, as well as his fantasy to be a hero. Arminwasn't a very well-built child; in fact he was quite small for his age. Eren seemed to think that Armin would snap in half if someone wasn't by his side constantly.

"Are you alright Armin?" asked Eren concerned for his friend.

"I am fine Eren, you ne-." begun Armin only to be cut off again.

"Are you sure Armin, what were they beating you up for?" asked Eren interrogating Armin about his wellbeing.

"I am fine; they were beating me up because they don't like the fact that Reverend Mika-"continued Armin only to be cut off again.

"Reverend Mikami? I knew that he was trouble, you should stay away from him Armin." advised Eren.

"Let him speak Eren, you keep cutting off like that and he won't get to explain what happened at all." said Mikasa, taking note of the blond boy's plight

"Thank you Mikasa, as I was saying they were beating me up because they were annoyed that Reverend Mikami told them off for bullying Me. Honestly, you would think they'd have got over it by now." finished Armin, grateful for Mikasa allowing him to speak.

Eren grumbled; he didn't particularly like Teru Mikami. He and Armin barely got to see each other anymore because of him; he also didn't like the Wall Cult in general. He wanted to see the outside, the walls weren't protection. They were a cage for humanity, so understandably he didn't like Teru's sermons nor the man himself. It was made worse by the fact that Armin and him had used to fantasise about leaving the walls. They had promised each other they would venture out and find one of the oceans mentioned in Armin's book. But Teru Mikami had put a stop to that plan.

"Anyways Eren and Mikasa, you need to come with Me." said Armin, glad to have finally found them. It meant that he had completed part of Reverend Mikami's instructions.

"What for Armin?" asked Mikasa, she was curious as to why they needed to go with Armin. She could tell it was urgent, the boy sounded serious. However Eren and her wanted to go skipping stones at the lake, she wasn't interested in seeing some stuck up Wall Priest. She hadn't minded Reverend Mikami at first, but as Eren had developed a dislike of him, she hated him for upsetting Eren.

"Reverend Mikami wants to see you; he wants to me to get my Grandpa and your parents as well." explained Armin in an urgent manner. If Reverend Mikami was worried about something, then it was serious.

"What does he need to see us for?" asked Eren, slightly annoyed about having to see the Wall Priest.

"I don't know, but he sounded worried when he asked me to get you." said Armin.

"Can't it wait Armin, I wanted to go skipping stones by the lake." asked Eren, slightly pouting about the Armin's request.

"Well I don't know, he sounded pretty worried." protested Armin feebly.

"Come on Armin, it'll be fun." begged Eren, trying to get his friend to join him.

Armin looked to Mikasa for help, but found none. He sighed before conceding.

"Fine you guys, but only for twenty minutes then we get your parents and my Grandpa and go and see Reverend Mikami." said Armin, immediately regretting his decision.

"Ok Armin, let's go!" said Eren exuberantly before running off to the lake.

Mikasa swiftly followed, with Armin barely keeping up, he was still quite worried. He had never seen Reverend Mikami as concerned as he had been today. He only hoped that it wasn't too much of a problem to play for twenty minutes.

 _"I wonder what he was worried about?" thought Armin._

* * *

Mikami was now very worried, it had been three hours and Armin wasn't back. He only had one hour left before the titans breached the wall. He had finished collecting the records and ledgers; he was now waiting for Armin. But Armin wasn't here; Mikami began to nervously tap his feet.

He spoke to himself "Where is he? He is never this late, something must have happened to him!"

Mikami immediately exited the parish, he was now incredibly anxious. The future of Kira was at stake, and the only person he truly cared for in this world was possibly in danger. He stormed down the streets. After walking through the streets for what felt like hours, despite it being only fifteen minutes, he found his first clue as to where Armin could be.

Max Amsel was sitting by himself on the step of a shop nursing a wound, probably caused by him tripping while running. While he had ordered the boy to stay away from Armin, he was probably his best bet to ascertain Armin's whereabouts. When the boy caught sight of him, he immediately turned blue with terror. He was quite unaware that Mikami didn't know what he had done.

"I swear I didn't mean anything by it Reverend!" explained the boy struck by pure dread. "I was just fooling with him; I didn't mean to hit him that hard!"

Unfortunately the boy had only made himself a massive target for Mikami's aggression, he responded to the boy's cries and pleas by lifting him up by the collar of his shirt.

"Where is Armin!" roared Mikami, he was now seething with these recent developments.

"He ran off with Eren and Mikasa, they were probably going to go to the river to skip stones or something." said the boy quickly, eager to avoid the Wall Priest's wrath.

Mikami nodded before throwing the boy hard into a wall, he really abhorred bullies. He quickly made his way through the tiny street, if he made good pace, he would reach the river in five minutes. And when he did, there would be hell to pay!

* * *

Armin sat beside Eren; they had just begun talking about how the walls wouldn't stand forever. However he heard rapid footsteps from about thirty feet behind him suddenly halting behind him, this caused himself Eren and Mikasa to perk up. He looked behind him and saw a livid Teru Mikami staring at the trio of children; even Mikasa looked slightly scared by the Fourth Kira. He marched up and grabbed Eren and Mikasa pulling them away from Armin. He shot a disappointed look at Armin before turning to the brother and sister. He was incredibly angry, to the point of irrationality.

"You stupid children how dare you?" asked Mikami in anger, truly enraged by the duo delaying his plans dangerously "I sent Armin to get you, and I know damn well he tried to do so! So why didn't you listen!"

Eren, in a moment of bravado, stood up "He is our friend, and he isn't a slave you know? He can do what he wants, and you can't order us around either!" To make his point clear he kicked Mikami hard in the shin.

Mikami stared blankly at Eren for five seconds before promptly kicking him hard in the stomach knocking him a couple of feet back. Mikasa punched Mikami hard in the side, hoping to protect her brother, but her efforts were only rewarded by a swift back hand from the prosecutor. He was seeing red now; he began walking over to Eren, who was getting up to face Mikami again.

Despite his bravery, it was clear he wouldn't be able to do much to the Fourth Kira. Teru was determined to enact his revenge on the child, in a strange way he felt as if he was protecting Armin. As Mikami raised his foot once again preparing to deliver a hard kick to Eren once more, he was stopped by a blond blur standing in front of him.

Armin spoke up "Reverend Mikami stop please! It wasn't their fault it was mine, I shouldn't have lost track of time. You can punish me, but please don't hurt them."

Mikami's look of anger softened, he kneeled down to look the boy in his eyes and started to speak "Armin, I am disappointed in you, but I am not angry with you. I treat you like you are older than you actually are. I should have done this myself."

He turned with a lock of sorrow to the brother and sister, they were just children, he was disappointed in his own actions as well. "Eren. Mikasa. I am sorry, you don't realise why I am doing this. But I do not jest when I say your cooperation means your lives. If you don't you will die, something terrible will happen to this district in a short amount of time. I need to get your parents, as well as Armin's grandfather. Can you trust me and do as I say?"

Eren and Mikasa looked at each other, before nodding slowly.

"Thank you." said Mikami before turning to look at the walls.

As he began to walk away, gesturing to the children to follow him, he heard a massive crash. It sounded similar to an explosion or a strike of lightening. He whipped around to look at the wall yet again, and was greeted by what he didn't want to see.

A massive face was staring over the wall. It looked as if it was a giant human made only of muscle, their was no skin to cover up that muscle. Steam could be seen fuming out of its back. Mikami was shocked. The walls were fifty meters tall; if Mikami didn't know better he would say that was impossible. However it was there in front of him. He cursed, he had been too late, but as he turned to grab the children he noticed one thing.

A name.

The titan had a name.

Bertholt Hoover.

Mikami's eyes widened.

 _"What?"_


	4. Faith Shattered and Remade

Teru stared in shock at the massive titan; he was paralysed by the size of the abomination. He couldn't comprehend the magnitude of the creature, and was struck by an old feeling that he remembered from his time in school. When he was bullied, when no one would help him.

Fear.

Mikami promptly turned around and grabbed Armin, throwing him over his shoulder. Once the boy had grabbed around Mikami's neck firmly, Teru grabbed Mikasa as well as Eren and carried them under his arms. He ran to take cover behind a building and waited for what he was certain would happen. He was waiting for the wall to breach.

Suddenly a massive crash was heard, as tons of debris was sent flying in various directions. At that point Mikami had abandoned all plans of getting Armin's grandfather, as well as plans of getting Carla and Grisha Jaeger. He resigned himself to the belief that they were most likely dead, and if not they would be dead soon.

As he stepped out to inspect the damage caused by the titan, he felt a sharp pain in his side. The caused him to keel over in pain, and he felt Eren and Mikasa extricating themselves from his grip. He desperately tried to hold on to the children, but both were too spirited and frantic to stop. They both got out of his grip, running off in their house's direction, which seemed to be one of the areas that were hit by the falling debris.

As Eren and Mikasa sprinted towards their house he could hear them screaming.

"Mom!"

Mikami stared at the two kids running off and said the only phrase that could describe his current anger and fear.

"God damn it!"

He swung Armin around his shoulders and put him down on the ground. After assessing the boy for injuries, he immediately queried as to whether he was ok.

"Armin," asked Mikami "are you hurt?"

The boy shook his head "No, but Eren and Mikasa will get hurt if we don't stop them."

Mikami calmed Armin "I will get them, don't worry. Now listen, I want you to run, if you find your grandfather bring him with you. Make sure you get to the boats near the river harbour; chances are they will be evacuating. You and your grandfather will get priority, now go!"

Armin nodded and scurried off in search of his grandfather, leaving Mikami alone.

Without a moment to spare, Teru began sprinting towards the direction of the Jaeger family home. If he was lucky he could get the children quickly and get out within a few minutes. However, he saw the giant monsters now strolling their way inside the walls; Teru knew time was of the essence.

* * *

Eren and Mikasa began slowly walking towards their mother, who was trapped under the debris that had crushed the house. Although they weren't old enough to really understand, there was no way of getting her out of the situation alive, Carla Jaeger was doomed the moment the titan had appeared. Nevertheless they began pulling on the wreckage, trying to remove their mother from the remains of their house.

"Mikasa," Eren cried "grab that end and hoist it up with all you got!"

Suddenly, the earth could be heard moving, almost as if an earthquake was occurring. Eren and Mikasa looked to the left of them, and saw them between gaps in two houses. Titans, each one trudging their way down the street in search of their prey.

"Faster!" said Eren, fear and desperation now entering his voice.

Carla looked up, now lucid enough to realise what had happened tried to stop her children "Eren, stop! Just run! Take Mikasa and run!"

"I want to!" cried Eren in response "But we need to get you out of here first!"

"You won't be getting her out of there Eren." said Mikami tonelessly, his voice not betraying his feelings on the current situation. He had arrived just a moment ago.

"Of course you don't want to get her out you cowardly bastard!" shouted Eren, frantically trying to not face facts.

"Her legs are crushed, if we get her out she won't be able to run!" explained Mikami; he was getting annoyed by the boy's determination. There was a titan lumbering up the road!

The smiling titan slowly marched up the street, its grin widening upon seeing more prey to eat, Teru noticed something odd. A name was above its head clear as day, Heinrich Schmidt. As interesting as that was, he didn't have time to ponder why titans had names.

"Listen to him Eren, just do this one thing for me," begged Carla "if you don't all four of us will die!"

Suddenly a zipping through the air could be heard, Mikami turned to see Hannes landing on the ground. He quickly hurried towards the house to observe the situation, after assessing the damage he looked up the road towards the titan. He turned back to look at the Jaeger family.

"Hannes please take Eren and Mikasa, and get them away from here." beseeched Carla, truly fearing her children's death.

"Now hold on Carla, I am a trained soldier. That isn't our only option…" began Hannes before he was cut off.

"Get the children away from here Hannes, I will deal with Carla." ordered Mikami, his voice showing there was no room for argument.

Hannes opened his mouth to protest, but after looking at the titan a mere three hundred metres away; he nodded and grabbed the children. He began sprinting away with Mikasa under his arm and Eren slung over his shoulder. Eren could still see his mother and Teru.

Carla looked to Mikami "Thank you, for saving my children."

Mikami nodded before bending over a picking up a large rock "I won't leave you to be eaten by that creature."

Carla spoke up "Are you crazy? You can't kill a titan!"

Mikami looked at her emotionlessly, before sighing "I know."

Teru brought the rock down hard on Carla's head, crushing her skull and killing her instantly. After briefly checking to see that she was dead, he took off the small hairbands tying her hair up. He then turned and ran faster than he had ever done in his life before, for he knew humanity's greatest enemy was behind him.

Mikami sprinted for what felt like an eternity, a mixture of pure terror and adrenaline keeping him going. He unconsciously took in the sights of the horror that were littering the district. It made him sick.

As he ran he saw human body parts strewn everywhere, leftovers from titans devouring a person. Human entrails were decorating the street, with limbs such as arms and legs scattered all over the place. The sight that struck Mikami the most was a blood stained doll. It didn't take much imagination to realise what had happened.

Finally after making his way through what felt like hell on Earth, he reached the evacuation area. Tell-tale sounds of gas and zipping confirmed that Survey Corps and Garrison Members were patrolling the area and keeping the evacuation protected.

There was a horde of people, the disorganised squirming mass was screaming in anger and fear. Despite the almost overwhelming amount of people, the Garrison members were doing an excellent job at prioritising and making sure that the mass of people was kept in line.

Suddenly Mikami felt a hand touch him; he whipped around to see a Garrison member, who was staring at him in shock. Mikami recognised that man, Franz Heydrich, a regular and disciplined member of the garrison. He was trying to initiate conversation with Teru, but Mikami had been so caught up inside his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed.

"Reverend," queried Heydrich "are you ok?"

No, Teru Mikami had never really been ok.

"I am fine." assured Mikami, waving off the question.

"Ok, well I need to get you to move to the front of the line, you take priority." asked Heydrich, already guiding him towards the boats.

"Of course." Mikami answered, he was quite pleased that he took priority; the titans could get here soon. The last thing he needed was more complications keeping him from Armin.

As he was guided through the crowd, he could hear the shouts of indignation and outrage from the citizens. Each one was trying to push forward onto the boats, while others saw children and women getting on to the boat and screamed in anger. Each individual was petrified by the monsters, the advancing giants.

As Mikami finally felt himself stepping on to the boat, he eased up slightly. He politely thanked Heydrich, before looking for Armin. After surveying the boat for a moment, he saw a mop of blond and began walking towards it.

* * *

Armin was sitting beside his grandfather, Eren and Mikasa got on the boat a short while ago, but Reverend Mikami had yet to arrive. Armin was worried for the man's safety, Eren wouldn't speak and Mikasa was equally quiet so he couldn't ask what happened to the Reverend. As minutes began to pile up, Armin's imagination began to play with him. What if the Reverend was dead? What if a titan ate him? What if he tripped and cracked his skull? What if he was crushed in the crowd?

As these thoughts rushed through his head, Armin became more and more distressed. His thoughts were interrupted by a shadow being casted over him. Curiosity begged Armin to look up, and so he did. And Armin was glad he did.

"Reverend Mikami?" asked Armin, wondering if it was really him.

"Yes, it is me Armin, I see you got your grandfather all right." said Mikami, not realising the boy thought he had died.

Armin jumped up from his sitting position and immediately embraced Teru, catching the Fourth Kira by surprise. The boy was crying into the folds of the robes Teru was wearing. Mikami was astounded by the boy hugging him; he hadn't been hugged since his mother died. And that was over four hundred and thirty something years ago. While he wouldn't admit it to anyone but himself, it was kind of nice.

Mikami hesitantly began patting Armin on the head "It is alright Armin, I am here. Your grandfather is here and so are your friends. What is there to cry about?"

Armin looked up with tears staining his eyes "What about everyone else, all the people who died?"

Mikami couldn't really answer that question, but tried his best "They are in a better place Armin. They don't suffer any longer."

Armin was about to ask something else, but he was cut off by a massive crash. Suddenly, all the passengers of the boat turned to see a large titan smash through the wall; its skin seemed to be plated by some form of armour. It turned to look at the boat, before walking off where it couldn't be seen.

One of the Garrison members spoke up "They… that titan broke through the walls, Wall Maria is lost!"

Instead of screaming and yelling, there was a deafening silence, as the inhabitants of the boat realised that life had just become even harder than it had already been. The sadness and fear was palpable, but yet so was the rage. The younger passengers seemed outraged by the walls being broken down; undoubtedly they would form the new recruits for the military. None were more outraged than Eren Jaeger.

Eren slowly began walking towards the side of the boat, observing the destruction that had been caused by the titans.

Eren swore to himself "I'll put a stop to this; I'll kill them, every last one!"

Mikami reached into a small pocket he had in his robes, and pulled out the hairband that Carla Jaeger had been wearing. He slowly walked over to Eren, who had tears staining his cheeks. He put his hand on the boy's shoulder, waiting for him to turn around.

Eren turned to face Mikami "What do you want?!"

Teru sighed before placing the hairband in Eren's arm "This was your mother's; I thought you should have it."

As Mikami turned to walk back to Armin, Eren spoke softly but with killing intent "I saw what you did to my mom you bastard!"

Mikami stopped, but didn't turn around "Good, then in time you will understand why I did it."

Mikami continued towards a confused Armin, who had watched the entire exchange. When the blond boy opened his mouth to ask questions, Mikami raised his hand as a gesture of silence. He turned to look at Armin.

"Go back to your grandfather and get some rest, these next few days will be… grim." warned Mikami, before closing his eyes and processing one last thought before the oblivion of sleep.

" _The titans have names; does that mean the Death Note could kill them?"_

* * *

It had been a rough couple of days, ever since they had been evacuated to Wall Rose. The food was rationed, meaning that everyone was entitled to only four hundred grams of bread per day, it was clear that the government couldn't support this sudden influx of people. If they didn't alleviate food problems, then a famine for the entire wall could occur.

Teru was currently sitting behind a pillar in the town square, thinking about what was to come in the next few weeks or even days. The government wouldn't be able to keep these people, so what would they do? It was beginning to seem to him that the only option would be for the government to send the people they couldn't feed back outside the walls.

"Hey Mikami." greeted Ryuk, having materialised beside the Fourth Kira.

While slightly startled Mikami replied "Hello Ryuk, what is it?"

"Well for starter's congratulations on handling the entire titan thing so well, it was quite entertaining. Especially when you dealt with that woman, Carla I think? Yeah that was entertaining as well." praised Ryuk.

Mikami nodded ignoring the Shinigami's mention of Carla "Surely that's not all, you don't normally congratulate people."

"Oh yeah, I was just going to say, you know you don't need Armin to write in the Death Note for him to be your accomplice? All you have to do is get his approval, and I will give it to you right now." said Ryuk, who was hoping that the killing would start.

Mikami's head whipped around "Are you serious, you aren't lying to me Ryuk?"

Ryuk nodded "Completely serious." The Death God raised his hand and pointed his finger towards Armin "You can go and ask him right now, I have the Death Note here and ready to be handed to you. But he has to write in it at some point, or else you would be cheating."

Teru wasted no time; he immediately began walking towards Armin who was currently talking to Eren and Mikasa. He tapped the boy on the shoulder before gesturing for the boy to follow him. Armin excused himself before trailing behind the prosecutor to a more secluded part of the square.

"What is it Reverend?" asked Armin, curious as to what Mikami could want him for.

"Armin would you be my helper when the time came to cleanse the world of criminals?" asked Teru, cutting straight to the point.

"Of course I would help you, why?" said Armin, wondering what the Reverend meant.

"That time has come, will you be my accomplice?" asked Mikami redundantly, for he already knew the answer.

"Yes, I will be your helper." said Armin, hoping to gain Teru's approval.

Teru smiled, before hugging the boy. Armin was ecstatic to receive a sign of affection from the man, as he generally didn't do much more than pat him on the back. Armin smiled; glad to see that the Reverend cared for him.

"Thank you Armin, you can go back to your friends." said Teru, already giddy with the anticipation of bringing order to the world.

Ryuk appeared beside Mikami, holding an apple. He was munching on the fruit absentmindedly, but when he saw the lawyer looking expectedly at him, he finished it off with a single bite.

"So, I see he agreed Mikami." said Ryuk, already reaching down to give him the Death Note.

"He did, and now the deletion of scum and the elimination of villainy begins." said Mikami, who was by this point euphoric thinking about the justice he would bring.

"Well, here you go. This will be entertaining, you humans are such interesting creatures." said Ryuk, handing the Fourth Kira the Death Note.

Mikami grinned, before looking to see a scene in the middle of the square. Two guards appeared to be attacking a child, although he couldn't make out who the child was. Just as they were about to deliver another kick to the downed child, Armin ran in front of the boy protecting him from a further beating.

Armin began speaking, but Mikami couldn't make out what he was saying. Regardless whatever Armin said clearly angered the two members of the Garrison, as one of them booted him in stomach sending him to the ground in tears. By this point Mikami was simmering with anger, but outwardly he kept calm. The Garrison members had attracted the attention of the crowd, which was perfect as far as Mikami was concerned.

Teru opened the book, before noticing he had no pen. Before he could contemplate that any longer, Ryuk placed one in his hand. The God of Death nodded encouragingly at the prosecutor urging him to continue. And so Mikami wrote the two names down.

 **Adam Steiner.**

 **Robert Meyer.**

"Delete." muttered Mikami under his breath, before looking up to observe the sequence of events that would take place.

After forty seconds had passed, both of the guards grabbed their chests in agony and fell to the ground. Each was paralysed with pain and was writhing helplessly on the ground. Their faces turned blue, before both expired on the ground.

The crowd stood in silence, observing in shock the events that had just occurred. They all looked disorientated and confused, but none made the effort to see if the Garrison members were alive or to get help. They all knew that they had deserved their fate.

 _"Teru, what are you going to do now?" thought Ryuk to himself as the lawyer was getting up._

Mikami walked to the crowd, having hidden his Death Note under his robes, and spoke "My congregation, listen to me."

The crowd quieted intently listening to the Reverend's words. Each one stopping what they were doing to hear what Teru had to say.

"We have been lied to, the walls aren't holy!" cried Mikami, trying to show his passion and make sure that he was heard.

Cries of denial and dismay could be heard, as the crowd seemed shocked by this proclamation.

"But there is a God!" asserted Teru, his plan falling into place.

This crowd quieted, with murmurs of interest and hope.

"This God judges us on our character and what we have done. He kills those who are evil, as he did to those two scums who lie dead before us. He judges all, and those who do no wrong will be made safe by him, as he protects them by cleansing the world of criminals." said Mikami; he was preparing to start a new religion in the walls.

The crowd burst into excited chatter, with the majority of it sounding incredibly positive. They were hopeful of a God who would protect them, especially considering that Wall Maria had failed them.

Suddenly a member of the crowd spoke up "What is his name?"

"Kira," said Mikami with a smile on his face "the God's name is Kira."

"What would Kira expect of us?" asked another man in the crowd.

"Kira expects your reverence of him, and you to be kind and righteous. Those who are found lacking will be… eliminated by him." stated the Fourth Kira, considering the implications the new religion would have on the daily life in the walls.

"Blasphemy!" cried a new voice, separate from the crowd "You forked tongue tells nothing but lies and heresy."

Teru observed the new comer, he recognised him. The man was called Father Thomas; he was revered among the Wall Cult and the populace of the walls for his kind hearted nature. Unfortunately he was also a firm believer in the divinity of the walls, and made sure to speak out against what he saw as "heresy".

"I tell no lies," retorted Mikami "how can we trust walls which were proven to be unable to stop the titans?"

"That was caused by heresy and evil present in Wall Maria, thus one of the walls collapsed unable to protect the heretical occupants of its borders." said Father Thomas, trying to disprove the Reverend before him. He spoke again "How can the walls protect us if we have no faith in them?"

At this point the crowd were beginning to divide over the issue, most respecting the words of Father Thomas. He was after all a senior religious figure and a humanitarian who constantly appealed for equality amongst the populace of the walls. While the Wall Cult itself didn't condone his activities, they knew he was too popular to excommunicate from the cult. So instead they tolerated his criticisms of the ruling elite within the Kingdom.

Mikami's eye twitched, this man would have to be dealt with. He would prefer it in front of the crowd, an example for those who defied Kira. He knew that he was required to root out the evil infesting the state. Only he and Armin could be trusted to do so, this man was evil for trying to stop him. And so he would be eliminated, just like any other who would dare stand against the world he was trying to create.

Teru turned around from the crowd and withdrew the Death Note, he quickly wrote down the Wall Priest's name. He disguised what he was doing by shaking his head and looking down on the ground, pretending to seem disappointed.

 **Thomas Wagner.**

After hiding the Death Note again he turned around to speak "Kira doesn't allow criticising of his divine rule. He is a merciful God, and won't let his flock be led astray by the words of a false prophet."

Father Thomas opened his mouth to respond, but soon felt a horrible pain shoot through his heart. He fell to his knees, trying desperately to hang on to life, but the struggle was fruitless. He fell on to his stomach and exhaled for the last time, before leaving the mortal world.

The crowd stood in silence, each shocked by the killing of the innocent man. But all were too afraid to speak out, after all Kira had just killed the last man to stand against him. Fortunately for Teru the more hard-line and fanatical supporters of the Reverend quickly brought the crowd to his side.

"Glory to Kira, saviour of Mankind!" cried one man, who Mikami recognised to be the son of a tailor who he had given financial aid.

"Praise be to Kira, protector of the innocent." cried a woman, whose husband had been murdered. Mikami remembered the pain in her eyes when she came to talk to him about it.

By this point the crowd had been brought into a kind of frenzy, chanting and screaming praises for the new God and his chosen prophet. While most wouldn't have reacted in such a way in normal circumstances, starvation and fear are breeding grounds for misery. And everyone wants a quick way out of misery.

Mikami was about to make a bold claim, but he knew that there would be no better way to cement Kira's popularity. What the walls had taken hundreds of years to attain, and what they had lost in a day, Kira would take in a single day. Kira would take the support of the people.

"Praise be to Kira!" Mikami shouted, his insanity covered by what one would mistake for religious ecstasy "For he will bring about the extinction of criminals and the Titans!"

At this point the crowd, which had grown larger and larger during Mikami speech, roared with approval. The chanting and praising was overwhelming, Teru couldn't have hoped for a better reaction to Kira.

Teru closed his eyes and chuckled, for the extinction of criminality and the titans was about to take place under him. Kira would be remembered for protecting humanity from the enemies inside the wall and the ones outside.

Mikami took his leave for a moment before turning to stare at where he saw Armin last. The blond haired boy was smiling and clapping in joy, having witnessed the act of a God. But he knew that the God wasn't hiding in some form of heaven, he was clapping for he knew the God was the Reverend. He might not have proof, but he just knew it.

Armin turned to look at his friends who both looked horrified "Isn't it great, Kira will kill them all."

Armin's Grandfather stared in shock at Armin. He turned in anger to look at Mikami who was already beginning the first sermon for Kira. He realised now what a monster the Reverend was, he had corrupted Armin. Right under his nose. Gone was the kind hearted young boy who wanted nothing more than to see the outside world, he was replaced by a boy who was obsessed with stamping out evil by all means necessary. One who delighted in the death of criminals. The elder Arlert had only one thought running through his head.

" _Armin my boy, what has he done to you?"_


	5. The Ends Justify The Means

Things had been going well for the newly founded Cult of Kira, as far as Teru was concerned anyways. Despite being the so-called "Prophet" of Kira, he actually didn't concern himself with the inner workings of the cult. He had made it apparent that the cult had to be autonomous, and that he would have very little actual effect on the cult's day to day activities.

Regardless of his wishes, the cult still treated him as if he was some form of demi-god himself. Not that they knew that he was technically speaking the god that they were worshipping. He couldn't deal with that, he had to keep up his daily routine and take care of Armin.

The entire cult was an experiment as far as Teru was concerned; they were a means to an end. They were a test of morality, what better way to get people to be outstanding members of society than indoctrinate them using religious fanaticism? Teru knew first hand that such means worked excellently.

As for Armin, the boy was coming along excellently, and each day he became more and more like Teru wanted him to be. He was becoming less self-sufficient, which was another goal of Mikami's. The boy needed to be fully dependant on him, but as much as he hated to admit it, Teru knew that his grasp on the boy wasn't as rock solid as he would have liked.

Armin shared two loves in his life, his love for Mikami, and his love for his friends. Despite the growing mercilessness and hatred Armin was showing, his friends still cared for him. And so did Armin, as much as Teru was tempted to kill off the children, he knew that Armin would hate him for it.

Teru was certain that Armin had a vague idea that he was Kira, while Teru hadn't admitted it to him; the boy was smart enough to draw his own conclusions. So Teru grudgingly coexisted with Eren and Mikasa, besides he couldn't kill children. It was against his scruples, never mind that Armin wouldn't be happy.

Teru spent his daily life inside an allocated room, courtesy of the cult he had established, and kept track of crime in the district. Regardless of how powerful the Death Note was, it was useless without names and faces. Faces were the problem, Teru couldn't obtain photographs, and so he had to visit the jails from time to time.

Luckily, Teru had so far tricked the public in to believing he was there under the orders of the cult. And so Teru spent his days writing, and preaching to criminals about how evil they were. He made sure that the deaths were spaced out, and not suspicious, so as to not draw suspicion.

It was almost time for him to begin the routine anew, he visited criminals at two O'clock and left the prison at five O'clock, leaving behind him men who didn't know that they were dead yet.

Teru closed the records he had been reading, before standing up and straightening himself out. He slowly walked towards the door, blowing out whatever candles were still alight. The room was shrouded in darkness most of the time, a necessity to avoid prying eyes, so Teru relied on his memory of the room's layout and the meagre light to navigate.

As he exited the room, he began walking down the halls of the parish that had been established. It was large, having originally been the home of the Wall Cult in the district. After refusing to renounce their faith, at least according to what he had been told, the Wall Priests were beaten and driven out.

As he methodically walked his way towards the exit of the parish, he was stopped by another robed figure coming into view. As he had left the cult to develop on its own, it had developed several "odd" customs and rituals. This led to the figure before him.

An eyeless monk.

Yet another example of religious fanaticism that Kira brought about, they believed that the sight of the world hampered their relationship with Kira. And so they covered their eyes with a blind fold, and wore hooded robes to cover this. Some even gouged out their eyeballs, although that practice was rare. The Eyeless Monks relied on hearing and excellent knowledge of the layout of the parish to get around.

There were several other sects present within the overall Church of Kira, there was regular priests and reverends. Then there were the Bishops who oversaw the running of other smaller parishes, which were populated by priests and reverends. The bishops were superseded by the archbishop who oversaw the district. And he superseded the Archbishop, which allowed him to do as he wished. Despite how impressive it sounded, the entire Cult of Kira wasn't that large.

Still it was amazing that Teru had organised this entire structure within a year, his organisational skills were part of the reason why the establishment of the cult went so well, but blind devotion and faith played a large role as well.

The actual influence of the cult was limited very much to the district, and even then they shared a rivalry with the still present Wall Cult. The Cult of Kira was practically unheard of outside the district; the rest of Wall Rose was under no Kira influence. Never mind Wall Sina.

The monk kneeled before him "Prophet, is that you?"

Mikami didn't bother nodding, as the monk couldn't see him "Yes, it is I. What do you need brother?"

"I was told that you offer blessing, would you bestow one upon me?" said the Eyeless Monk, practically grovelling at Teru's feet.

This made Mikami think for a moment, it was actually uncomfortable for him. He had once been as fanatical as the man before him, grovelling at Light's feet. The Eyeless Monk reminded him of what he had once been, and what he had once wanted.

Teru nodded, even though he knew the monk could not see him, he kneeled down and muttered a small prayer. It was low enough so that only the monk could hear it, but with the zealot's excellent hearing, Mikami knew he could hear him.

"Kira watches all, remember this, and let him watch your life as well. Let him look upon you, and find you pious and deserving of the new world." said Teru, before rising to get up.

As Mikami walked away, leaving the Parish to begin his routine judgement of the criminals currently in police custody. The Eyeless Monk began to grin.

"So this is the church of Kira? And that's their prophet, seems like a bit of a bore. Easy to fool as well, I wonder where he is off to?" said the fake monk dryly to himself, observing the area around him.

"Well, the King wants this place investigated. Who better to do it than I?" said the monk softly to himself, before walking off to other areas of the parish.

Mikami stopped to look at the retreating monk, for some reason his paranoia was eating at him. So he did something that he hoped would ease his worries, he picked up a small stone and threw it past the monk. He observed the monk's reaction.

The monk continued walking, and when the stone sailed in front of him he looked at it, before looking back down at the ground again.

Mikami frowned before walking out, it seemed that an infiltrator was present within the cult, not that he really cared.

* * *

Armin was sitting mindlessly staring at the sky, it was a beautiful day, and the sun was beating down gently upon the land. Eren and Mikasa seemed happy, and that by extent made him happy too.

Unfortunately, he had a reason to be sad as well, Eren and Mikasa seemed more and more eager to join the Survey Corps. They had agreed about it a year ago. And no matter how much he cared for the now Prophet Mikami, especially as he had taken him in after his Grandfather had fallen and died, he felt honour bound to follow his friends into the Scouting Legion.

He looked down to his feet and kicked a stone lying around; his friends seemed to notice his change in mood and reached out to him.

"Are you alright Armin?" queried Eren, who was biting into a piece of bread.

"Yeah, I am fine, so what are we going to do today?"

"Well Armin, I know that you might be a bit scared by it, but me and Mikasa were thinking about enlisting in the military today."

Armin tensed up "Really?"

"Yeah, and we can't leave without you coming. Remember the promise we all made? We stick together, so we won't leave you behind." said Eren firmly, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"But you know that Teru won't be happy…" began Armin, looking up to Eren with a hopeless look in his eyes.

"Armin, you can't let him rule your life. Besides, you may as well be his son, he should be proud to see you growing up."

"I guess…"

Mikasa spoke "Armin, you know I can't let Eren join alone, he will get himself killed. I won't be forced to watch one of my best friends wait behind while we rush off to kill titans, and I also won't be forced to wait behind as my brother goes off alone to fight titans. You are coming, whether you like it or not, we are friends and friends stick together."

Armin smiled "Yeah, I guess you're right, I have been reading up about joining. It is completely legal for me to join without his consent, so I guess we may as well get going now."

Eren stood up "Thanks Armin, just you wait, three years from now you and me will be killing titans by the dozen!"

"Thanks Armin." said Mikasa with a small smile on her face.

Armin nodded before looking at the sky.

* * *

Teru had decided that he would not visit the prison today, mostly as a result of a certain Shinigami following him. Ryuk had begun appearing more and more since Mikami had been given the Death Note.

"Hey Teru." greeted Ryuk, the Shinigami smiling as usual.

"Hello Ryuk, what do you need?" asked Teru quietly, making sure that passers-by didn't think he was actually talking.

"Well, as you know, I am not on your side. Of course, you are very entertaining, so I do like to tell you about things from time to time. So anyways, I thought that there wasn't really any resistance or threats to you." said Ryuk, his eyes roaming the market stalls for an apple.

Mikami's eyes widened slightly before whispering harshly "What did you do?"

"Well, as you might have guessed, anyone who writes in the Death Note faces the fate you did." said Ryuk, turning to look at the Fourth Kira.

"Yes, I understand that."

"What you probably didn't know, was that in fact that this fate extends also to those who possessed the Death Note for a long period of time or came into contact with it for that amount of time."

"Continue!" said Mikami lowly, growing more and more paranoid.

"So, I thought, why not reincarnate someone else for you to play around with? And so I did."

"Who did you reincarnate?" asked Mikami with growing apprehension and horror.

"Well, Near got to Heaven, so I couldn't take him. And L, the guy Light fought against, also got to Heaven. But Mello didn't, in fact, he wrote in the Death Note once."

"Mello?" asked Mikami, vaguely remembering the name.

"Yeah, he was one of L's successors, he was one of the main reasons you and Light lost." said Ryuk, stealthily snatching an apple and devouring it whole.

Teru began to nervously straighten himself; he should have known that the entire situation was too good to be true. Ryuk had introduced someone for him to play a battle of wits against, and he neither had the deductive abilities of Near, nor the planning abilities of Light.

Teru calmed himself before speaking "Does he have his memories, and has he been born yet."

"Yes, to both of those questions. I think he is around the same age Armin is now, a couple of months older maybe."

"Alright, and has anyone else been reincarnated?"

"Well, yeah. I reincarnated his friend as well, Matt or something. Anyways, those two are both in this world. Matt asked to be reincarnated, so I was able to get him even though he never used the Death Note. My apple supply took a massive reduction for this."

Mikami frowned angrily "As you can imagine, the odds aren't exactly stacked in my favour. Those two are both geniuses, and Armin isn't old enough to be a capable accomplice."

"See I was thinking about that as well…"

Mikami looked at the Shinigami with cold calculating interest "Continue."

The Death God began to scratch his head "Well, I thought that since Light wasn't around I could get someone who used the Death Note and maybe they would help you."

"Who did you get?"

"Well originally I was going to get Misa, but she refused. She is as loyal as ever, she is still waiting for Light." explained Ryuk.

"I will get you an apple if you cut to the point; it is useless to stall anymore."

"Well I reincarnated Takada."

Takada? That was interesting, he or Light had killed her, and so she would take some convincing. He wished he had the linguistic skills that Light possessed, he could easily convince her to help him again. But, she would certainly prove useful. After all, despite her arrogance, she believed that Kira's cause was just.

"Where are they now?"

"Don't know exactly, I think Takada is in Wall Sina, she might go by a different name however. Mello and Matt were joining the military last I heard; now that makes your knowledge of each other equal."

"Equal? What do they know about me?"

"They know that you are present in Wall Rose and that you were part of some cult. I didn't say which, luckily for you, the Cult of Kira is unheard of outside this district."

Teru immediately turned around, and began marching his way back to the parish. His frown began even deeper, as he knew what he was going to have to do to avoid Mello and Matt tracking him down.

"It will have to remain that way."

He soon arrived at the parish, with the bearer of bad news still trailing behind. He observed and counted the amount of people present within the entire complex, if he was correct, the majority of the cult were present here.

" _There are only around three hundred members of the Cult of Kira, which means that what I will have to do will be manageable."_

This wasn't the first time he had done something like this, in fact not too long ago he had dealt with another threat to himself in a similar manner.

* * *

 ***FLASHBACK***

Teru sat at the desk in his newly acquired parish, he was reading through a host of criminals that he was planning to punish. He absentmindedly clicked the pen in his hand, while inspecting their crimes in thorough detail.

Suddenly the doors to the room opened, and a familiar face stepped inside. "Reverend? Can I have a word?"

Teru looked up to see Armin's grandfather, he looked mildly angry. However Teru decided he would try to be pleasant, after all he might be angry about something and wanted Teru to fix it. But somehow he knew that wasn't the case.

"Of course Mr Arlert, please take a seat. Is something troubling you?"

Armin's grandfather sat down before looking up at Mikami.

"Someone actually, and that someone is you!" said Mr Arlert in an angry manner, his eyes narrowing slightly.

If Mikami was a better linguist or a more emotionally stable man in general, he would have responded with surprise and shock. However he didn't.

"What do you mean?" said Teru, already in cold fury.

"What have you done to my boy?" Armin's grandfather demanded angrily.

"Your boy Genseric?" asked Mikami, whose hand was clenched "Armin belongs to me; it is by my grace that you even get to see him! It is by my grace you are alive! If I didn't interfere, you would have been sent on the Wall Maria recovery mssion!"

"He is my grandson, and I have custody of him. He was a sweet, kind and loving boy before we met you. And it took me till now to realise just what you are turning him into!" said Genseric Arlert, pointing at Teru.

"I am turning Armin into a model human being, you should be glad. It is typical that people try to aid evil indirectly, Armin strives to insure that doesn't happen."

"Evil? What do you mean? Armin should be growing up in a regular way; he shouldn't have a hatred of criminals!" said Genseric, slamming his fist down on the table.

Teru didn't flinch, instead gesturing to the room around him "Look around Genseric; you and I both know this isn't a world where children can grow up regularly. If anything I am sheltering Armin from the horrors of the world around him."

"What horrors? There isn't any criminality at times like these! The only crime that is common is people stealing food to survive!" argued Genseric.

"A crime is a crime! And those that commit them deserve to die!" said Teru, now twitching slightly.

"By all that is holy, would you really kill someone for stealing bread to survive?"

"Not only would I do so, I already have! There is no greater honour!" said Teru, with a blissful smile on his face.

"You sick bastard! I won't let you associate with my grandson any longer, I owe his parents that much."

"You don't get a choice in the matter Genseric, regardless of your choice, Armin will be raised by me from now on."

"What do you mean? You don't have custody over him, I do." said Genseric in confusion. "You aren't in a position to make any demands!"

"It wasn't a demand, I was stating a fact. Who else will raise him after his grandfather dies?" said Teru with a serious frown, before he stopped frowning in anger and began looking somewhat mournful "I wish it didn't have to come to this Mr Arlert, we could have coexisted, but I can't have someone evil like you influencing Armin."

"So you are going to kill me?"

"Technically, but by all rights you are going to kill yourself." said Teru, already writing the man's name down in the Death Note.

 **Genseric Arlert.**

 **After he has finished the conversation he is currently having, he will proceed to fall down a flight of steps, and this will seem accidental.**

"Delete." Mikami muttered to himself, before looking up at Genseric "I will look after Armin for you, I give you my word."

Genseric looked in shock before shaking his head "This conversation is over, I standby what I said."

"Yes and so do I, at this conversation's end, so too your life ends."

"You are crazy." Genseric said turning to leave, before his eyes glazed over.

"Goodbye Mr Arlert, I am sorry about this. But I can't have someone close to Armin sitting on the fence, which would promote similar behaviour in him. As a famous man once said "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality." I hope you understand." said Teru, genuinely frowning in displeasure.

Teru watched the man slowly trudge his way, and heard an unpleasant sound. He could hear the coughing, sickly laugh of Ryuk. The Shinigami seemed unable to control himself.

Teru looked at him "What is it?"

The Shinigami calmed himself before speaking "Nothing, just a bit of déjà vu, but there was a twist as well."

Teru would have asked him, but for some reason, he didn't feel the need to. Instead he sat down in his chair, and got back to work, as if nothing had happened.

 ***END FLASHBACK***

* * *

Teru had reached the parish by now, and had already gathered up the members of the Cult of Kira, each one was sitting obediently awaiting orders. He had instructed them to remove their hoods so he could see their faces, and by extension, their names. And then he set about writing their names in the Death Note.

He had written out the scenario, so that the Cult would seem to have committed a mass ritual suicide. It was as fool proof a plan as any; it would deflect suspicions from Mikami, and make him harder to track down.

Teru did feel a slight tinge of regret about what he was going to do; killing three hundred innocent people was no easy task. But the ends justify the means; he would kill three million to ensure that his goal of a perfect world was achieved.

As he looked amongst the crowd, he noticed some younger faces as well, children in their nines or tens. Their parents must have brought them for what they thought was a sermon; unfortunately the children were at the age that they could remember who Teru was and what he looked like. So they would have to die as well.

"Prophet?" called the Archbishop, bowing slightly. "What would you have us do; we have been waiting a full hour for your sermon?"

Teru acknowledged the man's words, he had been spending the entire time writing in the Death Note, and it was the largest amount of names he had ever written in a single sitting. When he used the Death Note in Tokyo, he had only ever written fifteen per day, and never had he used such an elaborate death scenario.

 **After hearing the Prophet's sermon, this member will commit suicide in this place. They will seem to have willingly committed suicide. As there are sharp objects around the room, if possible this person will use them to slit their throat, if not they will commit suicide through other means.**

Teru looked up "Listen to me, and listen to me well. The Cult of Kira is the most intrinsically pure religion to have ever existed on this wretched Earth. While we have only been around for a short while, Kira has already judged us pure and worthy of salvation."

At this the congregation began smiling, with murmurs of content, and the children present looked excited. They began asking their parents what the prophet meant.

"That is why tonight, the salvation shall occur, this entire congregation shall experience heaven."

At this point the congregation's murmurs of content turned into those of confusion.

Teru's face was straight "Sometimes sacrifices must be made for the greater good. That sacrifice is you; each and every one of you present in this room shall die, so that Kira can continue his work."

Suddenly the murmurs of confusion turned into cries of terror, as children began wailing and adults shouted in anger.

"There is no greater honour, than for you to sacrifice yourselves for the good of mankind. I wouldn't do this, if I wasn't willing to do it myself.

Mikami wondered if the infiltrator was among the crowd, it mattered little. He had either left, or would die with the crowd.

"This sermon is over, may you find peace in your next life." said Teru, with a grim look on his face.

After those closing words, the congregation stood up, and set about killing themselves. Most picked up rocks scattered around, along with various other instruments, and began stabbing their own bodies.

Teru looked at a man in particular, he looked vaguely similar to Teru himself, and for that Teru had made his Death different.

 **After the mass suicide of the congregation is finished, this member will dress himself in clothes which resemble the Prophet of the Cult of Kira. He will then douse the bodies of the congregation and himself in oil. He will set fire to that oil, burning the bodies and himself.**

Teru closed the Death Note, and changed his clothes into a more fitting wear. Teru Mikami would die with the cult.

As the suicides continued, Mikami took a knife and cut his hair. He kept cutting and cutting until it was short and curt, a far cry from his regular haircut. He then put on a pair of glasses, similar to the ones he had needed to wear before being gifted Shinigami eyes. One last thing was required; a disfigurement would help to disguise him.

While he would have preferred to use makeup of some description, he neither knew how to apply such makeup to achieve the effect he wanted, nor did he have to supplies to get the makeup. So he settled with the old fashion way.

After making sure he had a pail of water nearby and ready, Teru grabbed a candle stick and brought it up and down the left side of his face. He began hissing and eventually screaming in pain, but he knew this was for the greater good. After he was done doing so, he stood up and walked out of the parish.

He was going to visit Armin, who still lived in the small house his grandfather had gotten. To disguise his burns, ironically, Mikami was wearing Genseric's old hat. The last thing he needed was to be noticed while the wounds were still fresh, he needed to find Armin and explain why he looked different.

After reaching the house, he knocked three times, and then entered. After calling Armin several times, he walked upstairs to his room. He noticed it was very well made, and there was a note sitting on the bed.

Mikami frowned before picking up the note and inspecting what was written within it.

 _Dear Teru_

 _I have gone to join the military, while I am grateful for you raising me, I feel I am too much of a burden and so I will become more independent. I have gone to join with Eren and Mikasa, so I won't be alone. When I get time off, I will come and visit you, and if you want you can come and visit me. Please forgive me for leaving without consulting you, but I knew you wouldn't let me. Please understand, this is for the best._

 _Yours sincerely_

 _Armin_

Teru frowned in anger before crumpling the note in his hand; he couldn't let Armin run around in the military unsupervised. He was going to have to join the military somehow; he could easily forge an identity. He was too old to join the trainees, but he could join as a military chaplain. There was only one problem.

Ryuk had mentioned Mello and Matt were joining the military, he couldn't remember Mello's real name, as it had been hundreds of years since Light had told him.

"I am between a rock and a hard place it seems." muttered Teru to himself softly.

He would forge his identity later, first he had to let the burn wounds on his face heal. And so Teru sat on the bed and put his head in his hands, and began reminiscing about the past, for he had nothing else to do.


	6. Necessary Evil

It had been two weeks since he had intentionally scorched himself, so Mikami felt his wounds were sufficiently healed. The wounds still burned like hell itself, but Teru dealt with it, it was the least he could do considering the necessary evil he had committed a week ago. In a way, the burns marked his sin, so that he may never forget what he had done.

However Teru was surprised that despite the innate evil of his action, if it weren't for the burn wound on his face, he would have forgotten about it already. Perhaps there was a reason for his lack of regret, perhaps there was not. The only thing that currently was causing him strife was none other than Armin.

Mikami drew water from the small well outside the house, before bringing it inside. He grabbed a bar of soap, and began to heat the water over a small fireplace. While slowly stirring the water, trying to ascertain what temperature it was, he noticed that a small mirror was lying by his bed. He hadn't really noticed it before, so he put down the soap, and picked it up bringing it to the fireplace.

After putting his hand into the water, he confirmed that it was of sufficient temperature, so he took the pail off the fireplace. He took the bar of soap, and began washing his face with it. It stung horribly, but it was better for him to be clean and in pain, rather than dirty and at risk of infection. As his burns were coming along nicely, he was certain he would be joining as a Military Chaplain today.

After he finished cleaning his face, he washed the lather off of it, and picked up the mirror to inspect himself. As he looked into the mirror, he saw that his burns had left a massive scar which was rough and coarse, in other words it was exactly as planned. The chances of Teru Mikami being recognised were almost completely gone, and his forged identity would play a role as well. He had donned glasses, but had discarded them after realising they gave him serious headaches as he no longer needed them. Besides, glasses would be a liability in the military.

Whilst he had taken care of affairs in the Shiganshina district, before it had fallen to the titans, he had analysed and mimicked down to the letter how the government wrote out birth certificates. While these certificates were rare in themselves, as most didn't actually have birth certificates written out when they were born, it was always useful to have extra credibility.

Mikami looked away from the mirror and began to run over the story he had constructed for himself, as far as the military were going to be concerned, he was called "Albrecht Han". It was a reference on his own name, from what he could remember anyways. Albrecht means brilliant, the same as his first name Teru meant. Mikami meant bestowed from God, it was difficult to find a name that meant something similar, but he eventually found that the name Han meant a "gift from God". This was a sufficient enough similarity, simply put; his alias was quite literally a translation of his name into the native language. Nobody knew Japanese however, so it would remain a convincing disguise.

Mikami had another factor going for him, unlike Mikasa who was profoundly oriental in appearance; Mikami's appearance in this world was far more European. He had very pale skin, but it was by no means a complete transformation, it was only enough to disguise that he was Asian originally. If someone knew him by face, there was no doubt that they would recognise him. That was where the scar and his short hair came in to play.

He set about dressing himself, he donned clothes befitting the average man in the district, as he didn't want to stand out any more than he already did with his scar. It was odd, he needed the scar to not be recognised, but it also meant he would stand out more.

After putting on his clothes Mikami took one last look at the house, it would lie unused for quite some time, and it might not be here when he next returned. Things change with time, Teru knew this better than most people.

He closed the door behind him and swiftly made his way towards the recruiting office, it was a relatively small building, unbefitting of the military in Teru's opinion. In fact, it barely distinguished itself from the structures around it; it was only the presence of a squad of Garrison members than gave away it away.

Teru was confident that he could serve in the military; he was younger than he had been whilst in his original world, and he was just as fit as he had ever been. The only thing that worried him slightly was his sense of balance; he was useless if he couldn't use the 3DMG the military was so fond of.

As he entered the office, he was greeted by a frail looking man, who seemed to be getting on in his years. This did little to stifle the man's spirits, as evidenced by him cheerfully waving to Mikami. It made sense; the man was probably selected because he was a friendly person. Unlike in his original world, the majority of people who joined the military were children, just reaching their teenage years. This man had to convince them to join the military, and tell them how they would be just fine in the military.

" _He is a liar." thought Mikami inwardly "I wonder how many of the kids he helped recruit over the years have died, despite his assurances? I hate liars."_

As a result of how Mikami was facing him, as well as the angle at which the man was sitting, he hadn't yet seen Teru's scar on his face.

"Good afternoon sir, can I help you?" asked the cheerful looking recruitment officer, he had been reading his book, but dropped it upon looking at Mikami's face seeing the scar.

" _So your name is Johannes Schmidt?"_

"Yes you can actually, I am interested in enlisting as a Military Chaplain." said Mikami monotonously, he stared at the man with vaguely hidden annoyance.

"Mi-Military Chaplain? Forgive my shock; we well, we haven't ever had anyone apply for that role." spluttered the man.

Mikami shook his head at the man's behaviour "Well, you have one now, I wouldn't squander the chance. Do you need any documents, I have brought sufficient records."

"No need, as long as you have two arms and two legs, you are suitable for the position." said the man; he produced a form of some kind.

"Very well, my name is Albrecht Han; I am twenty four years old." said Teru, taking a quill and signing his name upon the documentation.

"Ok, well then, you are clear to head up to the training camps, I am pretty sure there are some wagons heading out today in about an hour or so." said the recruitment officer, stamping the document and signing it, before handing it back to Teru.

Teru accepted it before looking to the man "Thank you. Tell me, what do you say to the children who come here to join up, what do you tell them about the military?"

The man looked at him with some confusion before clearing his throat "I tell them that they will make bonds of friendship that will last a lifetime."

" _Fair enough I suppose, there is an element of truth to that at least." Mikami though to himself.  
_

"That they will surpass their limits, and find that they are capable of things they didn't think they could do."

" _Debatable, but ultimately I can accept that as well."_

"I also tell them that if they stick together they can survive anything!" he said with a hearty chuckle.

" _Liar!"_

"Is that so? Well, thank you for your time Mr Schmidt, I must be off." said Teru, whilst writing down the man's name.

"Hey, how did you know my name? I didn't tell you it." asked the man in confusion.

"Maybe in your next life you will realise that lying is a sin." said Teru, more to himself than the man before him.

Mikami slowly walked off, hearing the man groan in pain, and fall to the ground dead. The Garrison members probably wouldn't notice his death until hours later.

" _That is repentance for all the children you sent to die."_

* * *

It had been a long three years, but finally Mikami had finished his training as a Military Chaplain; he was perfectly in tandem with the graduation of the 104th trainees' squad. As far as he could tell Armin was in one of the four or so divisions that comprised it, which meant that Mikami could keep him close.

As it turned out, Teru hadn't properly known what he was getting himself into whilst applying for the position as Military Chaplain. The title was a lie in itself; it would be better described as "Political Commissar", and was now perhaps one of the most feared positions in the military.

There were a scarce few of the Military Chaplains, and those who did exist had never been on the battlefield. This was because the position itself was more of a ceremonial role more than anything; at least it was until he had applied.

It was his own fault they made his position into walking propaganda. As it turned out, he was an excellent shot, with both pistol and musket. He rarely missed, and was able to shoot well under stress, the Military Police were impressed with his abilities, but he declined their offer to join. That was the reason he was now a Military Chaplain-Commissar, or in reality an executioner.

Simply put, if someone retreated in battle, it was his job to kill them. Unfortunately, this measure was introduced in order to combat desertion and cowardice on the battlefield, which had been exposed as common after the fall of Wall Maria. The idea was, they had a chance of dying whilst fighting the Titans, but were guaranteed to die if they retreated.

Oddly enough, he was assigned to join the Survey Corps on their expeditions. It was unfair that the bravest souls of the military were assigned the Commissar. They had all rights to run in battle, considering they had bravely chosen to enlist in the the one section of the military that actually fought titans actively.

This led to Mikami's current predicament, in order to keep his role, he had to be brutal. He had to be cold, unflinching and completely resolute in his decisions. Teru was capable of all of these things, but the man had never had to face the prospect of killing scared children on the battlefield for no reason other than them panicking.

He would be inspecting the 104th squad today, the southern division in particular, as it was noted that they could be quite rowdy. It was a few nights before their graduation, and his appearance was to root out any of those who were unfit for duty, or that is what he had been informed was to happen. Teru knew his real mission; he was to scare the living hell out of the squad, so that they would know not to act up.

That was why Teru was marching with Keith Shadis to meet the squad; Shadis was the drill sergeant of the particular division Mikami was visiting. He was a gruff stern man, with sunken eyes, and a demeanour which showed he took his job seriously.

"So, you are the Commissar I have heard so much about? Let me get this straight right now, I think your job is for scum, so I guess that makes you scum as well?" said Shadis, whilst the two marched towards the recruits.

"I take no pleasure in my position, but you and I both know it has been deemed necessary. Honestly, I don't give a damn what you think, I have been sent here to do my job." said Albrecht, over the years Teru had become better at mastering his fake persona, he could see the recruits up ahead.

"Here are the trainees of the 104th, formed up and awaiting your inspection Commissar." intoned Shadis, with audible hatred. Teru didn't blame him; being a Commissar was a horrible job.

Mikami scanned the line, briefly, not really taking in names or faces. They were all neatly ordered in a single straight line, perfect for inspection, and it would also allow them to see him at all times.

Albrecht cleared his throat "I am sure all of you are confused as who I am. So listen up, I don't like repeating myself, I am Commissar Han! If you think your drill sergeant was strict with you, prepare to be shocked. A couple of days from now will be the big day for most of you, so you will have to pull up your frilly stockings and act like soldiers!"

The trainees were looking at him with some shock, mostly over the disfigurement on his face, but also with vaguely disguised disgust. They evidently didn't like him already, which was a problem, but that meant they would have to fear rather than respect him. He could build up their respect for him at a later date.

Teru began marching down the line, and it was after passing five people that he found his first target. His first victim was a disinterested looking blond haired woman, who was looking at him as if he was not even worth her time.

" _Annie Leonhardt?"_

"Cadet, have you got a problem? Why are you looking at me as if I am not fit to be scraped off your boot?" said Albrecht, already prepared for her answer.

"Sorry sir, I just couldn't find anything interesting to look at." said Leonhardt sarcastically.

A small chuckle rippled throughout the cadets, even Shadis smiled thinly. Mikami smiled as well, this girl was as good a target as any.

He grabbed the blond haired woman by her hair, and dragged her in front of the cadets. After forcing her to her knees he spoke up "So, you think I am funny? Do you think I am messing around? Do you know what role I play in the Military? Do you even know what a Military Chaplain-Commissar is? Don't worry Cadets, I will show you."

He turned to the girl who had disrespected him and kicked her straight in the face, causing her to spit up blood. It left an ugly red mark on her. Mikami picked her up and punched her in the gut, winding her significantly. After that he threw her to the ground and began repeatedly stomping on her, after a minute he was satisfied, so he let up.

"That is what happens to Cadets who mess around. Do not dare step on my toes, or I will take my whip and proceed to whip you into a raw bloody mess! I will leave you in such a miserable state you will wish that the Titans had killed you." said Albrecht monotonously, but with the threat clear in his voice.

The squad stared uneasily at him, having quieted since Annie had been beaten.

Mikami began wiping the dirt off his boot onto Annie's uniform, he disliked being this cruel, but he needed to appear this way to the higher-ups. Technically, he was being lenient, common protocol was to whip disrespectful soldiers.

"Let me tell you some things, for those of you who want to join the Survey Corps, congratulations. You are stuck with me. I will join you on your expeditions. If you retreat in battle without my orders or the orders of command, you will be shot. If you panic in battle, causing disarray and confusion, you will be shot. If you in anyway disobey an order, you will be shot. If I even see a shred of fear on your faces, you will be shot! Am I understood!" shouted Albrecht, his voice commanding the attention of the trainees.

"Yes sir." said the cadets almost inaudibly.

Mikami decided he would let them off with that; he didn't want to be harsher than he had already been. They were children, not criminals. Why were the lines of morality in this world so blurred? He knew it was black and white, but this world seemed obsessed with making them grey. This world was making him adjust to it, but not for long. It wouldn't matter soon, he wouldn't adapt to this world, it would adapt to him.

He began marching and inspecting once more, before noticing another unfortunate victim. She was a brown haired girl, unremarkable in all rights, were it not for the food stain on her mouth.

" _Sasha Braus."_

Mikami turned to Shadis, who had a look of annoyance on his face as well. Mikami grabbed her and pulled her out in front of the other recruits. After informing her to stay put, he marched back to get the other offender he had noticed. A pompous looking individual that was muttering something under his breath, he grabbed him as well.

" _Jean Kirchstein"_

After pulling them both in front of the rest of the trainees, he spoke up "Cadets, introduce yourselves would you?"

The girl spoke first "Sasha Braus sir!"

The boy spoke next "Jean Kirchstein sir!"

Mikami decided he would try to tell them off rather than brutally beating them, it would show the Cadets that he wasn't completely evil.

"Cadet Braus, why have you got a food stain on your mouth?" asked Albrecht, looking at her with confusion and anger.

"Because… I was eating sir?" answered Sasha, as if it were an obvious answer to a stupid question.

Never mind what he had said earlier, this kind of disrespect would have to be treated on the spot. He tilted her chin upwards, and stared into her eyes.

"So, you're a comedian?" asked Teru, his eye twitching in anger.

Before she could answer, he mercilessly chopped her in the throat, causing her to chock. She keeled over, coughing and spluttering; trying to regain the air she had lost. Mikami hated disrespect in conversations, perhaps it was just the way he had been raised, but he had been taught to always be polite and courteous with your superiors.

He turned to the boy, who was looking at him uneasily. The cadet's body was braced; clearly he was expecting an impact of some description.

Mikami looked at him before speaking softly "Cadet, don't speak whilst on parade. Now get back into line."

Teru turned to Shadis whose anger was becoming almost palpable, Mikami could understand this, no one likes seeing the children that they have practically raised into men and woman beaten around.

Albrecht spoke "Drill Instructor Shadis, I am disappointed with the conditioning of these recruits; I would have thought they would be better disciplined."

Shadis quietly grumbled, showing his lack of respect for Mikami "They are well disciplined, it is just you haven't earned their respect yet."

Mikami nodded "Is that true cadets? Have I failed to gain your respect?"

"Yes sir." said a voice further down the line, it was high pitched, but Mikami could still tell it was masculine.

"Whoever that was, form up in front of me now!" roared Albrecht, he was incensed by the lack of common courtesy, although if the cadet stepped to the front he would let them off.

As he could hear shuffling, and moving within the ranks, he had already formulated a plan. The cadets didn't respect him, so he would let one of them hit him, to show that anything he did he was willing to do to himself. Hopefully that would gain some form of admiration. It seemed the cadet was going behind the line, and making his way up to him.

As the blond haired boy stepped forward, Mikami instantly recognised who it was.

" _Armin." Mikami thought to himself "You have grown it seems."_

Mikami supposed there was no better person to deal out the punishment, he removed the whip he had, before showing it to the watching cadets.

"This is a whip, in case you couldn't tell. For those who commit serious offences, the whip is all they can expect!" shouted Mikami, before handing the whip to Armin.

"Since I have disciplined some of your comrades, I feel I have failed to gain your respect, so I will prove to you I am cruel but fair. Cadet Arlert here will whip me, five strokes, is that acceptable cadet?"

Armin was staring at him in confusion; he didn't recognise Mikami that much was obvious. However, his confusion stemmed from the order he had been given, and the fact that the Commissar knew his name.

"Sir, I can't do this." said Armin slowly and timidly, closing his eyes in order to not face Mikami.

Teru frowned, it was like Armin to not want to hurt those he thought were innocent. "Very well, is there anyone who is willing to do so? Fall back into line cadet."

He was really tempting fate, by saying something like that, but he couldn't go back on what he said. Several hands were raised; he observed all of them, before picking the one he felt was most appropriate.

" _Bertolt Hoover."_

"Very well, the tall one may do it! Come here." ordered Albrecht, gesturing to Hoover.

As the cadet began walking up to him, he could see the anger in his eyes. He shot a tentative look at Annie, who was getting up just now, before returning his gaze to Mikami with renewed anger. It was fairly obvious; he clearly had feelings for the woman.

Mikami looked at him before beginning to judge him, he was tall, and was probably around six foot two. Mikami was only five foot nine; at least he was last time he checked. So naturally, the boy towered over him.

Mikami handed him the whip, before taking off his coat, revealing only a linen shirt "Go ahead, five lashes, don't worry about my shirt,"

As ordered the cadet did as he was told, whipping Mikami over the back five times. Honestly, it didn't hurt as much as it should. Teru believed that he either had dull nerves, or had built up a tolerance to pain. He thought it was most likely the former, as he hadn't been in pain that much.

Once he was finished, Mikami took the whip from him "As you can tell, that is quite painful. Simply put, everything I do to you, I am willing to do to myself. So don't mess around with me, because I am willing to shoot myself for cowardice."

Mikami felt slightly better with himself, it was a small repentance for brutally beating two teenagers because they looked disrespectful.

Mikami looked at the cadet's feet before noticing something. He looked up "Cadet, could you walk to Drill Instructor Shadis over there then back to me?"

The anger didn't disappear, but was mixed with some confusion now. Bertolt nodded slowly "Yes sir." He began walking over to Shadis.

Mikami observed how he walked, before immediately picking up on it; the boy had a poor walking gait. In fact, although his size disguised it, he seemed very unsteady. It wasn't too serious, he was more than capable of doing his duties, but it did mean that he would have to point it out.

"Cadet, stop where you are!" Albrecht ordered.

Bertolt obediently stopped, although he seemed annoyed by all these confusing orders.

"Shadis! What is the meaning of this?" roared Albrecht; he was making a bigger deal of it than it actually was. However, it would show that this could be a serious problem.

Shadis looked confused "What do you mean?"

"That boy is extremely unsteady on his feet! Why have you not corrected his way of walking!" asked Mikami. He turned to look at Bertolt "You are quite tall, massive even, so be very careful to keep good balance."

Shadis nodded "I will get it looked into, Bertolt is quite tall, hell he would give a titan a run for his money. He is colossal."

Mikami's eyes widened, he had seen that name before. Bertolt Hoover that was the name of the Colossal Titan! He looked to the boy with interest, it would be ridiculous to assert that he was a titan, but he would still file that away.

Mikami looked back to Armin, who had fallen back into line; he wouldn't be able to speak to him for a while. Nevertheless, he did know that there was going to be a hands-on experience for the trainees soon. Each division would be assigned to protect a particular part of Wall Rose; he just needed to make sure he was assigned with the southern division.

Mikami turned to Shadis, who was looking at him with dislike rather than hatred. Teru accepted that it wasn't a massive change, but the fact that he had even managed to slight alter the man's perception was a feat in itself. He hoped the same was true for the cadets.

He turned to face the cadets "Cadets, I will take my leave now. I will be seeing you in a few days from now, in Trost. It will be a taste of the experience of being a Garrison member, just don't be a blond haired drunk and you should be fine."

Eren, Mikasa and Armin perked up at that reference, which was not unnoticed by Mikami. He was mentally kicking himself for such a foolish comment; they knew he was from Shiganshina now. He calmed himself, it wasn't a horrible setback, and in fact it did little to affect him at all.

Teru turned and began marching off, back to the office, he smirked slightly to himself.

" _This is excellent, not only do I now have Armin back in my sights, but I am in a position that I can protect him from. Not only that, but I can search for Mello and Matt more effectively as a Commissar. Everything is going according to plan."_

Still, Mikami couldn't shake the feeling he got when he looked at Cadet Hoover, he just felt suspicious. It could just be paranoia, but he knew that he would have to keep an eye on him just in case.

He wasn't going to kill a child out of paranoia however. So he instead continued on his trek back with only one thought in his mind.

" _Just who are you Bertolt Hoover?"_


	7. The Battle of Trost Part One

Mikami slowly marched along the top of Wall Rose, whilst inspecting the battlements which were affixed to the wall. The Trainee squad and its many divisions had been sent to Trost, as a kind of "taster" day for what life was like in the Garrison. For obvious reasons, similar taster days couldn't be held for the other two parts of the military.

Teru had to admit, the discipline of the military as a whole had increased since the fall of Wall Maria. Perhaps the threat of imminent annihilation was the incentive humanity needed to fight harder. Like any other animal, humans were dangerous when backed into a corner.

Overall, at least according to the statistics he had read, the military had experienced a record boom in the amount of "men" and "women" joining the military. He used that term subjectively, as in fact they were really boys and girls. Regardless the fact that, despite the loss of a large amount of the population only a few years ago, the military's number of active personnel had increased indicated that humanity was rising to the challenge.

Teru had finally realised that his plans for the world would be hampered every step of the way by the Titans. They were an anomaly. The creatures were something that no matter how much planning and preparation he committed to his goals couldn't be particularly accounted for.

Unlike humans, they didn't possess morals or fears. Despite the resemblance to humanity, Titans were far more animalistic. They were untameable, feral and completely unpredictable. Apart from their hunger for humans, nothing else about them could be manipulated. They were proving to be somewhat like a cancer to his plans.

Worse yet, it was becoming increasingly apparent that his plans were childish and incapable of working in the world that he found himself in. His plans were unable to account for the Titans, and no matter how many criminals he killed, he couldn't extinguish the Titan menace.

Unlike his plans for the extermination of the entirety of criminality whilst he had assumed the role as the Fourth Kira, his strategy in this world would have to be far more "refined". When he was in Tokyo, he had left the procedures and plans to Light. Whilst Light had been the scalpel, he was the mallet. Incomparable intelligence and foresight, combined with almost complete unwillingness to stray from the plan and ruthless fanatical efficiency. Those were the traits that had made Light and himself so successful for a period of time; with Light embodying the former while himself the latter. Not only that, but he was capable of carrying out Light's will even if he wasn't explicitly told what to do.

But there was no "Light" to guide the way for him now, he was forced to act on his own accord. This was proving to be somewhat troublesome, he knew he was intelligent, but planning had never really been something he had a particular knack for.

He would have to abandon the "mallet" approach in favour of a more "scalpel-like" method. He could no longer batter criminality into submission as he had planned to do, instead, he would have to find ways to reduce crime within the constraints of the current political system. This was troublesome.

He would still remove those he saw as evil from the world, but he couldn't use a computer to dispose of thousands in an extremely short amount of time. He needed a name and a face, which necessitated a much more personal method of approach in this world.

To sum up his problems in about a sentence, his entire way of thinking had been rendered obsolete, and it had just hit him now how much of a problem that was.

This led to the current situation that Mikami found himself in, he was unable to devise any further tactics, as a result of the current uncertainty plaguing his overall agenda. With Armin outside of his sphere of influence, Teru had to let his plans for Kira take a backseat to keeping the boy alive and in check.

The Fourth Kira required Armin not just because of the fact that the child was his accomplice, in fact the entire idea of the "accomplice" seemed very lax as Ryuk had yet to say anything regarding Armin's failure to write in the notebook, but more as a result of the fact Mikami had grown "attached". He felt a responsibility to keep the child alive and well, he had after all promised Genseric that he would keep his grandson safe.

Kira also needed a successor should something happen to him again, as much as Mikami would prefer not to die again unnaturally and thus get to heaven, it would be selfish to not make contingencies for such a situation.

Mikami stopped with the clipboard in his hand, before inspecting the cannon in front of him. The logistics officer had asked him politely to inspect the cannons as well as make note of their inventory. Teru saw it as an excuse to navigate his way towards where Armin probably was, so he agreed.

Mikami made note of the cannon and its inventory, noting down the information with the quill he had "Cannon is operational; it has twenty eight shells in stock."

After he finished writing down the cannon's status, he turned to the recruits currently in charge of it.

One of the cadets stepped forward, Teru presumed he was the one who was elected to be the leader of the group "Is everything acceptable Commissar?"

Teru nodded "Perfectly adequate, Cadet Freudenberg. You may carry on."

He turned heel before continuing to the next emplacement of cannons, it was a few hundred metres away, but even from here Mikami could tell there were a few cadets stationed with the cannons.

He walked his way towards the next emplacement at a brisk pace; he saw no reason to delay the inspection. As he drew closer to the next group of cadets, he saw a familiar face and name.

" _So Grisha's boy is over here? I think the doctor would be proud of him, and despite my misgivings about Eren's attitude, the boy should be proud of himself. Bravery and the willingness to make a difference are both traits that I respect. I wish he hadn't convinced Armin to join with him however."_

The cadets braced themselves, and saluted him in the traditional manner of the military, clenching a fist and bringing it over their heart. From what Teru could remember, the entire salute had a metaphorical meaning, representing a man or woman's commitment to give their all for humanity's benefit.

Mikami saluted back, keeping up appearances, before he began inspecting the emplacement. He was required to inspect the cadets as well, so he would have to make note if their uniform was in good shape. Luckily for them it was very hard to wear the military uniform and 3DMG gear incorrectly, as there is only one way to wear it in any degree of comfort, the right way.

Teru, after inspecting the cannon and its ammunition supply, turned to the cadets "Good afternoon, cadets, is everything alright?"

The cadets glanced to each other with a hint of uncertainty before shaking their heads answering Mikami's question.

Teru nodded slowly inspecting their uniforms, after ascertaining that they were in good order he spoke "Very well, you may return to your posts, everything seems to check out."

The cadets immediately returned to what they were doing, beginning to chat amongst each other, or begin cleaning the cannons again. As Mikami observed the scene for several moments, he noticed that Eren had stepped forward looking at him with some curiosity.

"Is something the matter cadet?" asked Albrecht, his voice and demeanour pulsing with impatience. Mikami was certainly grateful that his acting had gotten better; beforehand he had trouble faking emotions and limiting his vocabulary.

"Sorry to bother you Commissar, but I had to ask, were you from Shiganshina district?" asked Eren, nonchalant about Teru's fake anger.

Mikami wasn't surprised; Eren Jaeger was always brash and headstrong. If he was curious about something, it made perfect sense for him to ask about whatever he wanted to know. His lack of tact was noticeable, but it was very similar to Teru's own bluntness when it came to certain things.

There were some differences, Eren just possessed an inability to read the atmosphere coming from certain people, or just ignored it. Teru showed tact when required, but when it came to putting across a point or communicating an idea, he said so concisely and bluntly.

Mikami saw no reason to lie "Yes I was, what does it matter to you?"

Eren nodded with some excitement "Sorry, I haven't really seen that many people in the military that are from Shiganshina. Only me, and my two best friends joined up with the trainees."

Albrecht nodded before looking at the boy "Something tells me that the boys and girls who saw their parents devoured and their houses destroyed wanted no part of the military."

Eren's frown was not unnoticed by Mikami, he knew why the boy was frowning, but he couldn't tell him that. Teru decided that asking Eren would be the logical course of action to keep himself in character. The last thing he needed was discrepancies in his course of actions, perhaps Eren wouldn't pick up on it, but smarter members of the military were bound to notice.

"Something the matter, let me guess, you lost someone?" asked Albrecht dispassionately, despite the emotional nature of the subject.

Eren nodded slowly, with some obvious pain stricken across his face "Yeah, I lost my mother to that bastard."

Mikami didn't know which one he was referring to, the titan that came up the road, or Teru himself. He elected to ask "The titans kill her?"

Eren shook his head "No, but they were the reason that she died. A reverend I knew killed her out of mercy. When I was younger I blamed him for her dying, I swore I would kill all the titans to avenge her and also that I would get him back. I knew even then that it wasn't his fault, but I hated him anyways."

Mikami nodded, he decided that he would listen to Jaeger's recollection of events; it would be beneficial for him to understand the inner workings of Armin's best friend's psyche. Even if he gleaned very little, the possibility of learning something about the boy was worth ten or twenty minutes of his time.

Albrecht nodded slowly "Do you still blame him now?"

Eren shook his head "No I don't, I understand now why he did it. I am very grateful actually; he saved my mom from a lot of pain."

Albrecht clicked his tongue "What do you think of him now, would you treat him differently?"

Eren laughed "I wouldn't hate him as much, but he was still a bit of an asshole. I swear he walked around like there was a pole up his ass all the time. He showed little to no emotion around us, my other friend and I knew he was a serious guy. But around the adults he smiled and sometimes even laughed, but it was like it wasn't real. He was acting around the adults, he pretended to be a different person, but when with Armin he acted like how I knew he was."

Mikami didn't particularly care for his analogy, but Eren was fairly accurate in his analysis of the prosecutor's behaviour around those he needed to keep happy. He hadn't realised that the boy had saw through his guise so easily.

Albrecht pressed for Eren to continue "What was he really like?"

Eren frowned once more "Scary. Not in the "I will gut you where you stand kind of way", but more like "I can organise your death and not one person will question it". He was smart, and he looked at everything with a kind of piercing gaze. It was like he was judging you based on how you walked and talked."

He was correct in that analysis, whilst in conversation with another person, Teru made it a point to analyse their behaviour.

The boy continued "The worst thing was, it was like he himself was blank you know? It was almost as if he really didn't have feelings, and just put them on for show. Or at least that was what I thought, when I look back on it, I think he was just a very calm and serious person. He was bound to have some emotions; my best friend was very close to him. He looked up to that man as if he was some kind of, shit I don't know the word."

"Paragon of humanity?" offered Albrecht, slightly out of character. He didn't actually see himself as one; he just believed that he alone was the only truly righteous being in this world that was in a position capable of dealing with the evil in it. Once he took care of all the evil, only good could remain.

Eren looked at him strangely "I don't know what that means, but if it has the effect of 'what everyone should hope to be', then yeah that is the right phrase. I used to get real jealous of how my friend would spend a lot of his time with that man. The guy tutored him, you see? So when we joined the military together without his permission, I felt like I had just spit in his face. It felt good."

" _You did. That kind of flagrant disregard for my wishes was certainly a trait of yours. If you weren't a child, and Armin's best friend, I would have taken you out of the picture a long time ago. Nevertheless, you have some of my respect Eren. You forced me into a situation where my knowledge of the goings on of the capital has increased tenfold. You may have caused my plans to have setbacks, but you also revealed to me that it was doomed to fail anyways. Thanks to you I now know. I will have to come up with a new course of action to dictate my next moves."_

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Cadet Braus, whom Mikami recognised as the girl who had remnants of food on her face whilst on parade. She was carrying something underneath her uniform and seemed blissfully unaware of the Commissar's presence.

"Can you guys keep a secret? 'Cause I totally just helped myself to the officer's pantry." said Sasha, revealing a large slab of meat from inside her uniform.

The other cadets looked nervously at her, before a small cadet with a shaved head spoke up "Uh Sasha, maybe you should put it back."

The girl looked confused "What do you mean? I am ready to share, after all. There is enough to go around. Besides, none of the officers saw me, what is the worst that could happen?"

Mikami blinked, he couldn't believe it. He had either encountered the stupidest or the unluckiest girl on the planet. Regardless, she was destined to be made aware of the dire circumstances of her predicament.

The boy, whom Mikami had identified as Connie Springer, began pointing at him "Sasha, look behind you."

Sasha whipped around to face a very confused Commissar Han, who looked like he was either going to pass out from disbelief or begin seeing red.

"Oh crap." mumbled Sasha, she looked for alleys of escape, but she knew there was none.

Albrecht approached her "I don't believe it. You again? How the hell can one girl be this stupid? By the walls, were you dropped on your head when you were born?"

Mikami was stuck in a dilemma; the girl had committed a criminal act. Sasha had stolen from the officer's pantry. She was however a child and she had stolen from corrupt officers who were underserving of nourishment in his eyes. Military protocol dictated immediate lashing, followed up by a deduction of whatever meagre pay the soldier was given.

There was only one way to both punish her, and avoid having to go too hard on her.

He took the meat out of her hands before dangling it in front of her "You see this ham?"

The girl's eyes became glazed and she began drooling in at the sight of it "Yeah."

Albrecht blinked at the girl's reaction, before continuing "Now you don't." He proceeded to throw the ham off the titan side of the wall.

Sasha screamed at the sight, extending her hands uselessly. After realising recovering the ham was a lost cause, her shoulders slumped in defeat. She looked mournfully at the ham's final destination.

Mikami decided now would be the best time to leave, the cadets were distracted by the humorous nature of Sasha's reaction, and those that weren't were hard at work. Eren was laughing himself, so this would allow him to slip off unnoticed.

He began walking away, admiring the sight of the Trost district. He knew things were looking far better for humanity; the cannons had been upgraded to better deal with the titans. There was a line of defence set up, in case the gate was destroyed. The manpower of the military was at a record high, and there were special evacuation procedures that could be carried out at a moment's notice.

Teru knew not to get hopeful however, he highly doubted that the Colossal Titan's appearance was by chance. A sixty metre titan that appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye? The Fourth Kira found it hard to believe that such a creature had attacked the wall out of mindless hunger; perhaps it possessed some form of intelligence?

That was certainly a worrying thought; the Titans' one weakness apart from their nape was their mindless instinct. They invariably relied upon it, but it could be taken advantage of by the more intelligent members of the military. But as it stood, the smarter members of the military didn't generally see active service.

A titan with intelligence and possibly a goal was certainly a huge threat. Humanity was already at the mercy of the creature considering its size and raw power. The ability to think for itself and plan out attacks was certainly a terrifying proposition, and it was one that was looking more and more likely.

He ceased his inner ramblings and thoughts, and planned to continue with his inspections of all the emplacements lining the walls.

Unfortunately, fate has a way of throwing a spanner in the works.

Mikami suddenly heard a sound similar to a strike of lighting, which froze him on the spot. He recognised that sound, it was one that he remembered from five years ago. An unfamiliar emotion reared his ugly head.

Fear.

Before he could turn his eyes around to gaze at the creature, he found himself knocked from the top of the wall. Teru reacted quickly using the gas and the grappling hooks of the 3DMG gear to latch him firmly to the wall.

He took a moment to regain his bearings, and began processing the situation quickly through his head.

The Colossal Titan had once more attacked, Wall Rose was its target this time, and judging from the force which knocked him from the top of the wall, he had already breached a hole in the gate. That would mean that the contingency plan for the event of the wall being breached would have to be put into effect.

The plan necessitated a full tactical withdrawal of all military forces to regroup in the castle overlooking the district. From there each section of the military; be it the Garrison, Survey Corps or Cadet Corps, would be assigned their overall duties to allow for the evacuation by the overall head of operations in the district. The commander of the district would assign the duties to the heads of the sections of the military present. They would then pass down the orders to the officers, eventually leading to each man and woman having an overall objective in the battle.

Mikami turned to see a cadet falling, his gear was either malfunctioning or he was too shocked to activate it, regardless he sprang into action. He used the gas to jettison himself to the cadet's direction catching him just barely; he then used the grappling hooks to latch himself back onto the wall again.

The cadet had a large bruise forming on his head, and was entirely unresponsive, although he was still breathing. It didn't take a genius to guess that the boy was knocked out. Teru began switching him into a more comfortable position to hold; finally slinging to boy over his shoulder to avoid straining any parts of his body more than he needed to, Mikami decided that he needed to check the cadets' current situation.

"Is everyone alright!" shouted Albrecht, Mikami allowed his training to take precedence.

"Yeah, we are all ok, for what it is worth." answered a voice.

"Alright, everyone fall back. The wall has been breached, we need to retreat and regroup back at the keep." ordered Albrecht, taking command of the situation.

Mikami knew that unless he spoke to him directly, Eren would dash off to go and fight the monster attacking the wall.

"That means you too Jaeger, you go off to fight that thing, I'll court martial both you and your sister!" shouted Albrecht.

Eren hesitantly looked to the top of the wall, before considering Mikasa's welfare. He nodded angrily "Yes sir, I am falling back now."

With Eren kept in check, Mikami turned and began leading the cadets back to the keep, whilst carrying the unconscious cadet back on his shoulder.

As Eren followed the Commissar he could help but think about two things.

" _How did he know my name? And how did he know I have a sister?"_

* * *

The retreat of the military, to assess the situation as a whole, was chaotic. As it stood several divisions were currently engaging the titans, but there was no form of cohesion. Although the commander wouldn't admit it, it was obvious that that they were being sacrificed to allow the civilians to evacuate safely and for the message to reach the capital. But it could take a few hours for the word to reach the King.

As it currently stood, one of the divisions was running desperately short on manpower, and its morale was breaking. A few squads of trainees were being allocated to reinforce certain areas. Normally an officer would be assigned to take command, but once again there was a lack of officers present, in fact most who were actually present were drunk of all things.

The commander was currently speaking with him; he was a large imposing man by the name of Kitts Woerman. Despite his large physique, it was very clear that this situation was distressing him immensely. He was very skittish and seemed a bit out of his depth.

Woerman spoke quickly "Commissar, as you can see we are in a bad situation here."

Albrecht didn't need to be reminded "Yeah, everything seems to be going to hell."

Woerman agreed nodding quickly before continuing "I have sent out a messenger with word of the breach, but it could be a few hours before relief arrives."

Teru clicked his tongue in irritation, pondering the point of this conversation. It was very obvious that the man was going to give him an order, why delay it with pointless conversation?

Teru decided that a prompt would be better "Commander, I am at your disposal. Give me your orders!"

Woerman grimly nodded "Some of the Garrison members at the front have been fighting for an hour or so now. The cowards are beginning to panic and flee; one division is on the brink of routing!"

Mikami nodded "And you want me to keep them in line?"

The commander nodded shakily "Yes. We haven't got much to stand on here. The Survey Corps have a few members around the place, but they are currently assigned to help with the evacuation. I need you to keep the Garrison in line, whilst I fall back to a more tactically advantageous position, where I can better command the troops."

Teru knew the man was a coward, but it wouldn't do to disobey him. He nodded, before swiftly marching out of the compound.

He couldn't believe the entire situation, it was chaos and pandemonium. Worse yet, it wouldn't be long before Armin and the other cadets from his division were sent to die. He would need to quickly restore discipline in the Garrison serving at the front, or else there was a significant chance that Armin would meet his end in Trost.

Mikami used his 3DMG to scale on top of a church's bell tower, taking a moment to survey the situation.

The front seemed to be on fire, with destruction and death embracing each other as old friends. The titans marched in what seemed like endless numbers towards the Military, who ran forward like lambs to the slaughter.

He was aware of where the command post was; at most it would take him around five minutes to arrive there.

His eyes darted back to the front once more, noticing the pools of blood forming in the streets. He didn't know how many people would die by the end of this battle. He didn't know how many homes would be destroyed. He didn't know how many families would be torn apart. But he did know one thing, and that was before the day was through the pools of blood would become a sea.

Mikami frowned to himself "I will have to come down like a sledgehammer on these men and women. They will have a choice, they can risk dying fighting the titans, or they can guarantee their deaths at my hands."

He needed to keep Armin safe, and he would kill hundreds if necessary.

With that thought in mind, Mikami leapt from the bell tower, and began making his way towards the Command Post.


	8. The Battle of Trost Part Two

Mello impatiently tapped his foot, whilst watching Matt lazily lean against the chimney of the house they were on top of. They had been here for twenty minutes, awaiting their next orders. He was bored out of his mind, and Matt was as well. They were both outgoing people, action was in their blood, sitting around and twiddling their thumbs only irritated the both of them.

Mello frowned, before turning to look at Matt "What the hell is taking them so long? I want to see some action goddammit!"

Matt smirked slightly "I would've thought you wouldn't want to head back into danger so soon, I think Takada should have taught you a few lessons. You aren't immortal you know?"

Mello grimaced "Don't remind me, when I find that bitch I am going to get her back! Besides, you're one to talk! Last time I checked, you died as well, those bodyguards turned you into Swiss cheese."

Matt mischievously smiled "Yeah, that's true, but you know what the difference between you and me is?"

"What?"

Matt theatrically threw his arms up as if he was on stage, drawing the attention of a few Garrison members positioned on a building a few hundred metres away "I said something badass before I died."

Mello blinked, before pinching the bridge of his nose "How the hell were you the third best in Wammy's House?"

"I couldn't tell you the answer to that. I mean all I did was play video games and smoke. How they hell were you and Near only ahead of me by a few points? You two must have been real idiots or something." asked Matt jokingly.

Mello punched Matt on the arm in a playful manner "Shut up, besides I was better than Near anyways! He wouldn't have beaten Light if it weren't for me, that Shinigami said so!"

Matt grinned cheekily at his friend "Look at the bright side of things, if everything goes well, you and I are going to beat another Kira. Then you and me will go back to heaven, and we can play video games like in the old times."

Mello shook his head "What is it with you and video games? Sure, they're fun, but it is more exciting when you do those things in real life."

Matt nodded before answering "Yeah, sure that's true. But I don't have to risk my neck to play The Legend of Zelda."

Mello conceded his point with a wave of his hand, before turning to observe the battlefield. He couldn't help but recall how the Shinigami had dragged them here.

It had been rather simple really; he had wanted to test the Death Note out so he used it on someone he didn't particularly like. The man wasn't some saint, and he had written only his name down. He couldn't remember who it was; all he knew was that he didn't put much thought into it. All he cared about was testing the Notebook's power.

Unfortunately that turned out to be a massive mistake, as it was; he had unwittingly denied himself heaven. Mello had always been a theist, a Catholic to be specific, and he had always believed in some form of afterlife. That was why despite what he did he tried desperately to do the right thing. But he knew that doing the right thing could be quite hard sometimes.

Regardless of whether or not his sacrifice atoned for his misdeeds, he was sent off to the place the Shinigami called "Mu". "Nothingness" was as accurate a description as any. Nothing but whiteness covered the area; it was as if the entire palette of colour was drained away.

But he had gotten off relatively easy, Matt had gotten to heaven himself, and came to visit him often. The entire process was confusing in its own right; neither the Death God nor Matt could explain particularly well how the afterlife worked, so he chose to accept it as it was.

Four hundred years weren't that bad to be honest, he was rarely alone, Matt and him talked about whatever came to mind and somehow time flew by. He was bored to be honest, but ultimately he was quite content with his eternity.

Then the Shinigami had shown up and everything changed.

He offered a fair deal, surprising considering that wide smile on his face, and offered reincarnation to both himself and Matt. The reincarnation was free, but they could also win a trip to heaven, if they beat Kira again.

True to his character, he had immediately jumped at the possibility of some action. It sounded entertaining to say the least, and best of all he would have beaten Kira without Near's help. That would be the ultimate proof of his dominance over his rival.

Matt had agreed also, and soon enough they found themselves alive again. The first few years of their life were particularly boring; they had decent families and were childhood friends who lived very close to each other. Still Matt had managed to make it fun, and they had made a few friends.

When they were twelve, the Shinigami had appeared again and warned them about the Kira in this world. Mello's hope had sunk slightly when he heard that his opponent had been reincarnated as well. That meant someone who knew exactly how the Death Note worked.

For better or worse it wasn't Light Yagami.

Mello would have been glad if it was in some ways, he knew exactly who he was looking for and how the man operated. Matt had told him everything that happened after he died, as well as things neither he or Matt had known when they were alive. Matt had met Near and L himself, who had filled him in on the specifics of the case.

However, Light knew who he was, and what he looked like. So chances are he would be dead already if it was Light.

No, his and Matt's adversary was Light's accomplice, a man named Teru Mikami. He proved Mello's suspicion of a fake Death Note was founded, and from what Matt told him, Mikami wasn't nearly as smart as himself. So it should be easy.

"Should be" being the key phrase.

As it turned out, Mikami was a meticulous bastard. From what the God of Death had told him, the man went by the same name here. And Matt and himself had immediately began looking for clues.

They had found mentions of a "Reverend Teru Mikami" in some records they had "borrowed". But he was supposedly dead. He died shortly after they joined the military; apparently he and some cult had burned themselves to death.

Mello didn't believe that for a second, the man had faked his death to throw suspicion off of himself, but that wasn't the problem. He couldn't figure out where he was now, he didn't know what the man looked like, nor did he know what he exactly his plans were.

He sighed; things were getting worse by the second, Matt and himself were both in the top ten for their particular Cadet division. Their plan was to join the Military police together, get access to power and influence they wouldn't normally have, and smoke the man out.

But then the "Colossal Asshole" had made an appearance, and put a real hole in their plans. Mello was confident that he and Matt could handle a few titans, but a district of them? Even Humanity's Strongest Soldier would be hard pressed.

Mello tensed when he felt a hand on his shoulder, but relaxed realising it was Matt.

Matt asked tentatively "You alright?"

Mello heaved yet another sigh "Damn Matt, I just don't know about all of this. It is like God himself is just throwing obstacles in our way. How the hell are we meant to concentrate on finding Mikami with all these fucking titans?"

Matt smiled knowingly "I guess we'll take whatever comes our way Mello, besides I don't remember the great Mihael Keehl being so willing to give up. Weren't you heavily considered for the position of L? Don't remember L getting stressed over a few small setbacks."

Mello calmed himself, Matt was right; he would just have to deal with these things one at a time.

Mihael frowned in disapproval "I don't remember the legendary waster Mail Jeevas being a world renowned therapist."

Matt put a hand over his heart in mock hurt "Ouch, harsh. You know, if you are having a problem with controlling your hatred we could always do some anger management courses. I hear you can get putty to squeeze maybe that will ease your inner aggression?"

" _Sarcastic ass as always, I swear he hasn't changed a bit in four hundred years. To be fair though, neither have I particularly."_

Suddenly a clank could be heard, and the subsequent footfall indicated someone had jumped onto the roof with them.

Mello grinned, before turning to face the officer who had landed before them "Are we going to kick some ass now sir?"

The officer nodded "Yes cadets, you two are next up. From what I hear, both of you are pretty good, so go and teach those soulless bastards a lesson!"

Matt sighed "And I was just getting comfortable." He walked to the edge of the rooftop, before turning to look at Mello "Last one to the front has to do what the other says for a day." He then leaped into action, with his 3DMG gear propelling him forward.

Mello growled in anger, but with some underlying mirth "You cheater, you better hope I don't catch you, because when I do I am going to kick your ass!" He too jumped forward trying to catch his friend, prepared for whatever was coming his way.

* * *

Mikami was a few hundred metres from the outpost, and thus he could already see the problems with the discipline of the men. Namely the officer was desperately trying to prevent his men from leaving, the more experienced men were running, whilst the younger cadets and Garrison members stayed to fight. The titans prevented the officer from stopping his men, and he instead had to focus on keeping the creatures at bay.

Mikami landed on the rooftop of a large building, a significant group of Garrison members who were deserting were on it discussing where they should go. He gear clunked as he marched towards them, and his hand reached for the flintlock pistol he carried with him.

Teru was ambidextrous, and was capable of wielding his sword and pistol in either hand with equal amounts of skill. However, he was a lot slower than the average 3DMG user. Carrying around a rifle, a pistol, a sword and ammunition for his weapons caused him to weigh a lot. Thus, his 3DMG aerobatics were as a whole inferior to anyone who even had an idea of how to use the gear.

To compensate for his hampered mobility, Mikami was far more skilled in killing people than any other member of the military. The Commissar's main role required him to kill humans, which meant concessions in regards to titan killing had to be made.

Firstly, he didn't use a standard issue sword. The run-of-the-mill sword of the military was similar in design to a scissor blade; it was built with the purpose of cutting titans' napes in mind. It was capable of killing humans, but it required momentum to be very effective.

Teru's sword was different, for starters he generally dual wielded it with his pistol. It also operated the 3DMG gear's gas cylinders just as the standard issue sword did. The sword he used was serrated, like a bayonet. Whilst the regular swords were made to slice and cut, his was made to stab and gash. This meant his ability to kill humans was superb, but his titan killing ability was at a severe disability.

The men turned to face an irate Commissar "What the hell are you doing? Get back to battle soldiers!"

One of the men spoke up "You're crazy if you think we are going back there! Those titans are everywhere, I am not dying today!"

"So you left the cadets and younger Garrison members to die?" asked Mikami, having selected his target.

"Hey they chose to stay there; I don't give a cr-" the man answered, before he was cut off by a musket ball entering his head killing him instantly.

Teru turned to the others "If you will not serve on the front line, you will serve on the firing line!"

Whilst several looked ready to give up and return to the field, one look back in the direction of the titans made them stand their ground. They drew their swords, prepared to kill the man before them.

Mikami frowned in displeasure, they were wasting his time. The men had no chance of beating him if they were just going to parry with him, his skill with blade to blade combat was far superior to their own. Their only hope would be to try and force him to engage in 3DMG combat, where they would possess a more distinct advantage.

Mikami knew how to bait them into a fight well enough, he had been taught by skilled swordsmen and by Anti-Riot Military Police "Come forward cowards, or are you too scared to fight a man?"

The first man charged, his coat billowing in the wind and his blade drawn. He was more inexperienced than his comrades, who recognised that the Commissar was a more skilled swordsman than themselves.

The man immediately made a mistake, and tried to lock blades with Mikami. This proved to be his undoing. When his blade clashed against Mikami's, the former prosecutor merely pulled his arm hard to the right, dragging the man's blade with it. He then flicked hard with his wrist, which forced the blade out of the man's hand.

Mikami stared at him neutrally, the entire interaction had only lasted ten seconds, and the man was in shock at being disarmed. Mikami raised his sword and decapitated the man instantly "Delete."

The man's head was cut at such an angle that it went airborne for a couple seconds; the distraction of the event gave him time to reload his pistol. The men's shock gave him the ample time to load again that he needed. The pistol was far easier to reload than a musket certainly, but it still took around thirty seconds to reload.

Once he reloaded his pistol, he turned to face the men once more "I am willing to forget your treason if you return to battle. You could die fighting the titans, or you will die fighting me."

The men looked indecisive, and Mikami was at the end of his patience "You have three seconds to choose."

"Three."

The men looked around, nervously trying to come up with options, they were afraid of giving him cause to shoot them if they used their gear to escape.

"Two."

The sweat began trailing down the heads of the all of the military men, one of them jumped off heading back to the front line.

"One."

The men froze, unable to move, some closed their eyes whilst one other looked ready to burst into action. The only thing keeping him at bay was Mikami's pistol.

Mikami raised his side-arm and struck a man in the chest killing him instantly "Delete."

This was the catalyst for most to run back, however a few still remained. A heavier set and far more experienced looking man stepped forward.

He spoke gravelly "You fucker, I ain't getting my men killed for some lost cause."

Mikami growled in anger "Don't pretend to be righteous you scum, if you cared for your men you wouldn't have left them to die to save your own hide!"

The man looked at Mikami "I don't think you are in any position to judge, last time I checked you were killing my men without a care in the world."

Mikami's frown of anger turned into that of disappointment "I haven't killed any men; they are scum, not even human. They revoke any rights they have when they commit acts of evil."

The man roared in anger "You son of a whore! I will gut you where you stand." He raised both of his swords.

Mikami sheathed his pistol before beckoning for him to come forward with his left hand "You can try."

The man roared and charged forward, he was far more skilled than his comrades. He made sure to make use of the advantage of two swords, his superior size and strength quickly forced Mikami on the defensive. He brought his two swords down on Mikami, who blocked it with his own. However, the prosecutor found himself pushed back by the force of the strike.

Mikami was getting worried somewhat, the man wasn't showing any signs of tiring, and purely defensive fighting was only going to get the Fourth Kira killed. Teru knew that more underhanded methods would have to be used to guarantee his success.

Teru raised his sword, gripping it with both hands, and blocked yet another swing from the man. Mikami purposely allowed his grip to lessen, giving the man the illusion that he was breaking Mikami's guard, and so the Garrison member kept pushing.

Mikami face was only inches from the other man's, and he could see the sweat trailing down his cheeks and forehead, as well as the redness of his cheeks from exertion and anger. Mikami observed the man's eye before making his move and spitting in it.

It hit its mark, causing the man to roar in irritation, his grip slackened allowing Mikami to deal with him quickly.

With a quick push he broke the man's attack, and then Mikami sliced off one of the man's hands, and after the roar of pain from him he sliced off the other. With only stumps where his wrists had been, the man fell to his knees and locked up at Mikami with anger and a tinge of fear.

Mikami looked to the man's comrades, who had yet to retreat or return to the battlefield. He supposed an example would have to be made; he had heard some heavy footsteps from the ground below the building. He knew just what would scare the life out of the other military men.

Teru grabbed the man by his collar and began dragging him over to the edge of the roof, before looking down and confirming what he had expected. A small titan, probably five metres tall was jumping up to try and get to the humans on the roof of the building.

He knelt beside the man "I will give you a choice; you can sacrifice yourself and voluntarily jump into that titan's grasp. That will save your men, I will let them live. Or you can choose not to jump, and thus save yourself. It seems obvious what will happen if you choose that however."

The man closed his eyes, in clear inner turmoil, before shaking his head "I can't do it, I am so sorry, but I don't want to die!"

Mikami nodded before grabbing the man and lifting him to his feet and throwing him over the edge into the titan's grasp. He turned away, hearing the man's screams as he was messily torn apart, before turning to the other men.

"Delete." muttered Mikami to himself.

He looked to the others "So what shall you do, I would rather hope to avoid killing any other humans today?"

The men saluted meekly and looked at him with horror before jumping from the roof and heading back towards the front line.

Mikami nodded in satisfaction before withdrawing his Death Note. He had never gotten around to writing down the name of a titan, and he was curious as to what happened when he did so.

He looked at the titan's face.

 **Hans Steiner.**

After writing the titan's name down he counted to forty, watching the titan stare at him with ravenous hunger; after forty seconds had passed Mikami got this reaction.

The creature roared in pain, and began gripping its chest futilely. It smashed into the building and fell to the ground still roaring in agony as it began pathetically rolling around. The display continued on for a minute before the creature appeared to recover and sat itself up, before looking at Mikami with something Teru recognised.

Fear.

Somehow the creature, which as far as Mikami could understand was meant to be mindless, recognised that he had caused it that pain.

Mikami decided to experiment some more, from his observation, the regenerative ability of titans negated the fatal effect of a heart attack. So the default method of killing with the Death Note didn't work. What interested Mikami was that the creature felt pain; he knew titans had varying levels of pain tolerance, but he had heard of one crying out like that.

Mikami wrote it down again.

 **Hans Steiner.**

 **They will be hyper sensitive to any pain inflicted on them, and will proceed to rip their arms off with their teeth.**

Mikami began counting, as the creature seemed to forget the foreign emotion it had felt and went back to a state of having an insatiable appetite.

Then the creature began to do as he had written, roaring in pure misery as it proceeded to bite both of its arms off. It tried desperately to block out the pain, but it appeared that Mikami's hypothesis was true. He could enhance the pain felt by a titan.

The creature looked exhausted, and it looked at Mikami with dread once more, but what happened after that shocked Teru even more.

The creature's arms slowly regenerated before it looked up at Mikami and began kneeling before him. It clasped its hands together and extended them in a gesture he had seen many do when they begged.

" **St-op."**

Mikami's mouth opened in surprise. The titan had talked! That was impossible, all of the knowledge he had access to firmly stated that titans were mindless creatures incapable of thought or feeling anything other than a compulsive desire to consume humans.

" **Ple-ase! Stop!"**

The creature was begging now pathetically, leaving Mikami even more confused. He honestly was gobsmacked, and was at a complete loss for words. He stared at the creature observing its movements.

Mikami overcame his shock and tried speaking to it "You can speak? I demand you answer my questions!"

The creature mutely looked at him; it clearly seemed unable to speak any more than the words it had already uttered.

Mikami growled in anger before bracing his pen over the Death Note "Speak or I'll write your name down again!"

The creature's eyes widened in horror, before it slowly but somehow frantically waved its hands in an attempt to stop him.

 **Hans Steiner.**

 **They will be hypersensitive to pain, and will proceed to rip out ever tooth out of their mouth.**

Mikami waited, as the creature stared at him. Mikami began counting once more, waiting for the creature to begin to do as he ordered.

The creature looked at its hand in fear, as it moved on its own accord towards the titan's mouth and began ripping out teeth from the monster's gum.

One at a time.

Mikami watched the creature cry out in agony and fear, unable to do anything as it felt horrible pain that it had never experienced before. Mikami perhaps would have felt sympathy if the creature was not murderous, but who knew how many it had killed? This was justice for those that it had eaten, those who didn't deserve to die.

The creature looked up after the deed was finished, steam was coating it as its blood evaporated upon being exposed to the air.

The creature looked up at him as if he was some form of inconceivable being, and it shocked him once again. The creature began crying, its tears evaporating almost immediately after leaving its eyes.

" **G-od! I a-m sor-ry!"**

Mikami didn't know if the titan was referring to him, or if it was showing some form of regret for its actions. Regardless, Mikami knew he was no God, and no God would save an evil being like this titan.

Mikami began his final experiment, having decided that he would put the creature out of its misery.

 **Hans Steiner.**

 **They will kill themselves by ripping out the nape of their neck.**

Mikami looked at the creature before him, and could feel nothing but intense hatred for it; it didn't deserve to have a painless death! How many had been killed slowly by it! How many had begged for mercy from it!

Mikami decided he would add to what he had written in the Death Note.

 **They will do so slowly and with hypersensitivity to pain.**

Teru finished writing before speaking slowly whilst looking at the creature "Delete."

He watched the creature look at him once more, the fear becoming palpable from it. It feebly tried to get up, and began trying to stumble away, but it was no use.

The creature had barely advanced a couple of metres before it stood still and began reaching behind its head towards the nape of its neck. It frantically shook its head, but it was no use.

The creature began screaming in fear once more, as its fingers slowly dug into the nape of its next. Its eyes looked towards Mikami begging non-verbally for mercy. But it was no use.

The creature ripped off its nape and with one last scream of pain it fell to the ground dead.

Mikami placed the Death Note back inside his coat pocket; there were roars of triumph from the men. From what he could hear, the titans had been pushed back from the area he was in. His mission had been accomplished, and thus he could go and find Armin.

He looked back at the corpse of the titan and smiled widely "I can protect him! No longer will you creatures stand in my way, I will finally be able to destroy all the enemies of humanity! I will delete all evil! Human or Titan! I am justice!"

On a clock tower not too far away, a Shinigami dropped its apple and looked at the scene with extreme scrutiny "So very interesting."


	9. The Battle of Trost Part Three

Mello rolled onto his feet, having just landed on another rooftop; he took a quick breath in relief. This part of the district wasn't as bad as it had been earlier, the men had rallied a short time ago, he wasn't sure why. There were plenty of high buildings, churches and other things, which he and Matt could maneuverer from. It was a 3DMG user's heaven.

He then immediately launched himself from the roof again, evading the Titan's hands with five seconds to spare. He turned to look at the creature, they were extremely easy to deal with or so he thought. They were too slow and reacted poorly to sudden changes in direction; to deal with titans all he had to do was be unpredictable and hard to follow.

He used his gear and launched himself straight at the titan, before switching direction and pulling himself over the creatures head. With one movement he turned around and drew himself into the creature's neck slicing right through it and ending its life.

Mello landed on the roof and looked disdainfully at the evaporating blood on his blades "Damn, I am glad that didn't get on me."

Mello glanced in Matt's direction, seeing the red haired lunatic spinning towards a titan with his blades extended. With the power of momentum and the added spin, the wretched thing didn't stand a chance. Mello could say many things about Matt, but he was a natural acrobat, it was amazing actually. For being such a lazy slouch, it was almost unbelievable just how fluid in the air he was. He would put a Bolshoi dancer to shame.

Mello tapped his foot in irritation before shouting at Matt "Hey Matt! Are you done showing off?"

The other boy looked in Mello's direction before smiling obnoxiously and using his three dimensional maneuverer gear to make his way to Mello. He landed on his right foot, before spreading his swords to his sides and mock curtsying.

Matt straightened himself "I think I won, I got four, how many did you get?"

Mello grumbled inaudibly to himself, looking at the ground.

Matt smiled, but decided not to push the issue, Mello was a prideful man. It wouldn't do to destroy his pride anymore; the man had enough of an inferiority complex as it was. His life goal was to beat Near and prove he was the best successor of L, so he obviously had a massive ego. Not that he was too proud to beg or give up on that pride, but Mello had a lot to prove to both himself and others. Or so Mello thinks.

Matt sat down on the raised area of the roof, sighing in exhaustion. Using the 3DMG was extremely tiring, and it was hard enough making his way around the place, never mind fighting titans as well. It was a chill day, and to be honest it was quite cold, but he was sweating like a pig.

Matt felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up to see Mello handing him a rag, he smiled in gratitude. "Thanks." said Matt taking the rag obligingly.

Mello nodded "Don't mention it."

Mello took a seat beside Matt before gazing out at the scene around them; the buildings were ruined, most having the smoking skeletons of titans embedded inside them. There were also the corpses of a few unlucky soldiers who had fallen to the ground; most that were visible were crushed into the pavement. Not so much a body but rather a stain.

Mello averted his eyes; there was a line he would draw. He was no stranger to death, and he was certainly willing to kill to achieve things. But there was a line that was drawn over what he would stare at, the results of a battle with titans was not one of them.

Matt spoke up "So what's the plan now Mihael?"

Mihael ran his hand through his hair "I don't really know to be honest, we should probably delay till the officers come to order us again, and I think we will wait until then. If the battle is going badly, we can always slip into some civilian's clothes and evacuate."

Matt nodded, they both possessed honour, but they weren't dying for nothing. Perhaps some considered it cowardly to put on some dead man's clothes and slip away, but Mello and he saw it differently. They saw it as a viable option to survive, they were realists the both of them. He wasn't going to die for no reason, and he wasn't allowing Mello to die for no reason either.

Mello lay back and put his hands behind his head "Hey Matt?"

Matt nodded "Yeah?"

"You ever wish things would just stay like this?"

"Do you mean you want things to stay bloody and violent, with man eating monsters attempting to devour the human race? I can't say I am much of a fan." asked Matt sarcastically staring at Mello.

"Don't be an idiot, I mean I wish things were simple." clarified Mello frowning at Matt's question.

"Simple?"

"Yeah, out here we don't have to worry about anything really, just each other. We don't have to worry about what we were raised to be, don't have to worry about succeeding some detective we never even directly spoke to and we definitely don't have to worry about some sociopathic freak with a God delusion." explained Mello with a faint smile.

"So you want to forget about Mikami?" asked Matt, willing to do so if the boy decided.

Mello sighed "No, I never said that, I don't know I just wish we didn't have to go back eventually. The afterlife is so boring compared to here; if I could I would stay here forever."

Matt nodded "I see where you are coming from, but hey, wake up and smell the roses. We have years left in us, and I am sure we can get the Shinigami to resurrect us again, so it's not like this is the end."

"Yeah, I suppose so. Things are so different, ever since I died, I just don't look at things like I used to." said Mello slowly, rubbing his chin in thought.

Matt jumped to his feet and began stretching "Yeah things do seem to change, death loses its mystery."

Matt began walking to the side of the roof, and looked down at the remnants of the battle for himself. It was a mess, but as far as human casualties went, they were slim. Only ten or so people had died here, and in exchange the titans had been wiped out. To him it seemed like a fair trade, he just wished they hadn't died the way they probably did.

Matt's eyes focused in on some movement on the street, noticing two figures on the ground. He hadn't paid attention before, but it seemed to be a girl performing resuscitation on a man, although he couldn't really make it out.

Matt turned to Mello who was watching him with curiosity evident in his eyes. Matt smiled before speaking "Hey Mello, want to check those two out? It is a bit boring up here."

Mello nodded "Sure, let's go. Besides, I think there are some fresh gas tanks around, we can swap them with ours."

Mello and Matt jumped from the building using a burst of gas to propel them, before landing behind the girl who was performing CPR.

"Hey, do you need any help?" asked Matt calmly, seeing the girl hadn't noticed his presence.

The girl was crying when she turned to look behind her shoulder "Yes, he isn't breathing."

Whilst Matt began trying to calm the girl, Mello began walking around to get a better look at the boy. He didn't like what he saw.

Matt looked at him trying to ascertain the boy's condition, which Mello confirmed by bringing his hand across his neck in a slicing gesture. What Matt didn't see, was that the boy was torn in half.

Matt smiled kindly "What's your name?"

The girl sniffled wretchedly before speaking "Hannah… Hannah Diamant."

Matt finally looked over her to see the state of the boy, before frowning at the sight. He shook his head before looking at Hannah "I'm sorry, that boy is dead."

Hannah shook her head vigorously "No, he isn't I can still save him."

Matt looked helplessly to Mello who shrugged his shoulders in a gesture of "don't ask me".

Matt tried the kind approach again "What wa-, sorry is his name?"

Hannah answered quickly "Franz, Franz Kefka."

She continued pushing down on his chest, thirty times before giving two rescue breaths to him.

"Look Hannah, I don't think Franz would want you doing this, he would want you to live. If you stay here you are going to die." said Matt, calmly but kindly.

Mello watched the girl frantically deny the obvious, as she continued to perform CPR. He couldn't help but laugh at Matt's foolishness, there was no way of getting through to the girl. Nevertheless, he would have a go.

Mello spoke up harshly "Listen girl, your boyfriend is dead. He has been torn in half; there is no way resuscitation is going to bring him back!"

The girl didn't even look at him, and continued to try CPR. Matt looked at Mello with some thanks for trying, but still frowned at his approach.

Mello heard the sound of gas whooshing through the air, and turned to look at the figure that had arrived. He was a medium sized man, with short black hair and a massive burn scar on his face. The scar reminded Mello of his own, although it wasn't nearly as bad as the one he had gotten.

Mello recognised the uniform and equipment the man was using, he wasn't just an officer. This was the Commissar that everyone spoke of. He was rumoured to be extremely brutal, although Mello had never met the man himself.

Mello saluted "Cadet Keehl, reporting for duty sir!"

The Commissar waved him off "At ease, what is the problem here?"

Mello began explaining to him "The girl is performing CPR on that body over there sir, she doesn't believe he is dead."

The Commissar nodded before walking over to the girl and crouching beside her "Did you know him?"

She nodded "I know him, we loved each other." She continued performing CPR "I can't stop until he wakes up."

Albrecht nodded "I see, so you think he is still alive?"

She nodded slowly, looking at him curiously.

The Commissar swallowed the information "Don't worry cadet; I shall remove any doubts to his condition." With that, he pulled out his sword and slit Franz's neck quickly and surgically.

Mello's eyes widened and Matt's jaw dropped in surprise.

The girl screamed in fear and sadness as she scrambled back from the body.

Albrecht walked over to the body and kneeled beside it "Do you still think he is alive?"

The girl remained silent, unable to speak from the sheer shock.

He frowned "Very well, I see you need another demonstration." He pulled out his pistol and cocked back the lock.

Matt raised his hands over his ears, just before the Commissar shot the boy's body right through the head, completely caving in the skull.

Mikami grabbed the body by the hair and lifted it up showing it to Hannah.

Mikami commented matter-of-factly "He is dead Cadet, this is just a lump of flesh. He was dead long before this; he has been bitten in half, the boy probably died from the shock."

The girl still could barely speak and could only utter one question "What are you?" She then began to curl up into a small ball and began rocking back and forward trying to comfort herself.

Mikami stared at her display for a moment before reloading his weapon slowly whilst staring at her. He then pointed the weapon at her and cocked it back once more.

Mello shook his head and turned away, she was as good as dead. The Commissar didn't take prisoners. He just hoped she died quickly.

A gunshot rang out, and the girl screamed in pain, gripping her leg in agony. She looked at Mikami in fear as he stood still with his gun still pointed at her. After staring at her for a moment, he placed his gun back in its holster.

He turned to Mello and walked towards him "Take her back to the barracks, once she gets medical attention have her evacuated with the rest of the injured. She isn't fit for combat at this point in time; she'll die out here if she stays.

"Sir, we need some documentation or something. You know how hard-line the officers can be." said Matt weakly, trying not to look at the man, he was brave but something about him scared Matt.

Wordlessly Mikami pulled out a blank piece of paper and began writing on it quickly before pushing it into Matt's chest.

He spoke quickly "Now all of you do. Go now take her, consider this your reprieve from combat, you two have done enough today!"

Matt nodded "Thank you sir." He looked to Mello who had taken the initiative and lifted the girl over his shoulder already.

"Wait!" shouted the Commissar grabbing hold of Matt's shoulder.

"Yes sir?" said Matt with a hint of fear.

"That cadet over there, make sure you have his name written down in the list of honourable dead, I want him remembered. He died heroically!" said Mikami quickly, before pushing Matt onward.

"Yes sir!" shouted Matt, before he and Mello took to the sky.

Mikami watched them depart before scaling to the top of the building and continuing on to where he believed Armin would be. As far as he knew he was serving in a sector close to where he currently was. It was only a ten minutes away from his position.

He made haste, slowing down for nothing more, it was dangerous for him to waste any more time than he already had. That girl and those cadets were a risky distraction to indulge in; and if it weren't for his moral values he would have left them to their fates.

He swerved to the right, directing himself towards an area which was considerably damaged. It was getting dark, as the sky was becoming overcast with clouds.

Mikami latched himself to a building and quickly climbed his way to its top. Once on top he began surveying the area.

Mikami began muttering to himself "So, judging by the damage left in their wakes and the freshness of the blood, the titans were here recently. They had been here perhaps as little as an hour ago." He was on the side of a tower and noticed a crumbling behind him.

Mikami swung round to the other side of the tower, noticing a massive impact mark on it. He trailed his fingers along it feeling residue of saliva and blood, he looked at the liquids for a moment before confirming that one was of human origin.

Mikami strapped himself to a bar of the building's foundation, allowing him to hang from the clock tower and observe the situation. Once completed, he began trying to make sense of the destruction.

He saw titan footprints on the street and noticed body parts lying on the buildings. He frowned and continued his search before noticing something interesting; there were small holes in a number of buildings.

"Those holes are characteristic of the 3DMG, it seems a member of the military or several came through this way." said Teru idly to himself, and he began to unstrap himself from the bar hoisting him up.

And with that Mikami let himself fall and used the momentum to swing him around the clock tower towards the direction of the 3DMG marks. Within ten seconds he had landed on another tiled roof, and began surveying for more clues.

He needed to figure out where the cadets had gone, he could see no officers and it seemed to him that the cadets were routed or destroyed almost immediately. They had most likely scattered after that; in general the likelihood of cadets sustaining horrific casualties without breaking was slim. That was why high command thought him necessary.

He noticed that the tiles were uprooted on the building he was on, and judging by the direction of the damage, he could safely assume that someone had fallen and slid across the roof.

Mikami looked around, but could find nothing more to search for. He frowned "There has to be something I can work from!"

Mikami blinked and began using his Shinigami Eyes to search for faces. He had learned that he could switch back and forth willingly if he so desired, although that ability was originally useless. But now that he fought regularly, he found that his opponents' names and lifespans were extremely distracting, so the ability to turn his eyes off was useful.

Another useful trick was how the Shinigami Eyes worked. They didn't need the individual to recognise what they were looking at as a face; the eyes would show their name regardless. In effect, the Shinigami Eyes would pick up someone if they were in his sight whether or not he noticed them.

Mikami surveyed the street and noticed a titan breathing softly and lying on the ground, he had thought it dead. But it seemed there was still some life in it. For now anyways.

Mikami dropped down to the street and walked over to it brazenly, he didn't know why, but he didn't particularly fear the creature. Besides, it seemed to be completely immobile.

He stood in front of its face, noticing what was restraining it, collapsed rubble had pinned its arms and legs along with most of the lower body. Only its head could move.

The ten metre tall titan slowly moved its head to face Mikami and stared at him as he marched in front of it.

It began sniffing and looking strangely at Mikami as if it couldn't recognise or understand what was in front of it. It began growling slightly, but Mikami noted that it was defensive. Not only that, but he had never heard a titan growl before.

Mikami wondered if this was one was vaguely sentient as well, to figure this out Teru decided to interrogate it. Mikami took a step forward and spoke slowly and clearly "Do you understand me?"

The creature stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly. It looked at Teru reservedly and with a hint of wariness.

Teru continued "Can you speak?"

" **Yes."**

The creature spoke slowly and with some struggle as if it was unable to form the correct mouth movements necessary to speak.

"Not well?" asked Mikami, deciding that it may be better to ask yes or no questions.

" **Not W-e-ll."**

Teru nodded before crouching down to face the creature "Are there other humans close?"

The monster blinked before nodding slowly in confirmation. It then looked at Teru strangely with a hint of what he could recognise as confusion.

" **Ot-her?"**

Teru nodded slowly "Yes other humans like me."

The creature shook its head at him.

" **No, n-ot like y-ou."**

Mikami was impressed by this one's level of sentience, the previous one was limited to a few phrases, but the titan before him was capable of an almost complete conversation.

He clicked his tongue in interest "What do you mean?"

The creature spoke slowly.

" **You, n-ot hu-man."**

Mikami's good humour vanished immediately and he pulled his sword out and began roaring "Who are you to tell me I'm not human! You're a monster! You eat people! Why?"

At this the creature's sentience seemed to vanish as it roared in confusion and pain. It kept screaming for what seemed like hours to Mikami before it ceased.

Teru walked around the back of the beast and jumped on to it. He slowly walked along the creature's back, trailing his sword and cutting the titan along the way. Once he reached the nape he stopped.

The creature was looking to its east, so Mikami assumed this was where the rest of the cadets where.

"Delete." muttered Mikami softly before plunging his sword into the titan's neck and messily cutting away at it. He found that his only sword wasn't going to cut it, so whilst slashing and stabbing, he reached for his second sword and tried to slice the nape fully.

The titan wasn't screaming, and Mikami was aware that they all felt different amounts of pain, so he didn't care.

However as he slowly cut into the titan, he became increasingly frustrated with his inability to slice its nape properly. He wasn't capable of cutting quickly enough, and he didn't have any momentum behind him to aid his attack.

Mikami stabbed his sword into an exposed part of the titan's neck in frustration. He began twisting it inside the titan, although he knew his actions were fruitless. He growled lowly and brought up both his swords in anger and stabbed where he assumed the top of the spinal cord would be in a titan.

To his shock, a pool of blood spurted from there causing him to cover his face to avoid the burns, but he was completely drenched in the blood. Once the fountain had stopped, he looked back at the titan.

It was dead.

Mikami looked at the body in confusion, as far as he knew titans were killed only by slicing their napes, not stabbing their spinal cords. Unless…

Mikami's eyes widened "There is something in the nape!"

He began slicing away at the nape, working quickly before the titans flesh began to disappear away. He cut away and eventually began to see something embedded within the titan's neck.

Teru looked at it in confusion "It looks like a contusion of some kind; in fact it looks a lot like a body."

Before he could confirm any of his suspicions, the titan began to burn away, its flesh evaporating. Mikami stepped back from the titan's body and began to make his way towards where the titan had been looking.

He didn't have time to attempt to understand why the titans were somewhat sentient, nor what was embedded in their neck. He however thirsted for answers to this question, he held critical knowledge. These two facts were the biggest breakthrough in humanity's knowledge of titans in the last century or so.

He swerved in the air and began thinking to himself.

" _The Survey Corps has a resident scientist, Hange Zoë I believe. Perhaps I could establish contact with her after this; she could give me the answers I desire. Not only that, but she possesses some influence in the Survey Corps; her owing me a debt would be incredibly useful. She would likely kill for this information."_

Mikami once more looked ahead, and finally reached what he had been looking for. A large group of Cadets were scattered on a single rooftop, all of them looking morose and defeated. It was clear that they were completely out of their depths.

He landed on the roof and began walking towards the centre, some of the cadets looked slightly hopeful at an officer showing up, although they were weary considering what type of officer he was.

Teru looked for someone he recognised, before noticing Cadet Leonhart standing and watching the surroundings along with two of her friends.

Teru walked over to her and called out to her "Cadet Leonhart."

She turned around and looked at him in cold anger; nevertheless she saluted "Sir, how can I be of assistance?"

Albrecht gestured around him "What is going on here? Why is everyone sitting on the roof?"

Annie answered instantly "Because they are scared, everyone doesn't know what to do, the officers and senior soldiers left us to die."

Mikami's eye twitched and he roared in anger "They what? How dare they? When I find the officers who were in charge of this fiasco I am gutting them alive. How dare they leave children to die?"

Annie's eyes widened at his outburst before speaking stoically as usual "Cadet Ackerman is trying to raise moral, although she is speaking to Cadet Arlert at the moment. Perhaps you and she can get the rest of the cadets fired up, and then maybe we can get to the headquarters."

Teru nodded "You have a good head on your shoulders Leonhart, perhaps if you live long enough you might make a good officer. I'll do what I can, give me ten to twenty minutes and I will get us mobilised."

Teru turned around and began walking to the back of the crowd forcing his way through the group of people until he saw who he was looking for.

Mikasa stormed away from Armin and barged by Mikami with a look Teru recognised as sadness. Someone had died, come to think of it, where was Eren?

Teru marched up and kneeled beside Armin, whom was lost to the world and hugging his knees in distress.

"Armin?" Teru ventured, he had never seen the boy this upset not even when his grandfather had died.

Armin sniffled and looked up slightly "Commissar?" He had greeted him on instinct, but once he realised just who he was talking to he stared warily at him.

Teru saw Armin seizing up, and he realised it was probably because of his rank. Armin almost certainly believed that he was about to kill him for cowardice. It took bravery to not get up and run.

"Calm down cadet, we will get you out of this yet. I didn't go through so much effort to let you die, I made a promise after all." said Mikami out loud to himself, before cursing his break of character.

Unfortunately Armin didn't miss his statement and began barraging him with questions "What do you mean? What promise? How did you know my name? And what effort did you go through?"

Mikami cursed softly, that was a major error on his part. He averted his eyes and made to get up. Unfortunately, Armin firmly grabbed him and stopped him quickly leaving.

Armin spoke softly but his voice demanded an answer "Who are you?"

Teru kept quiet, and his eyes stayed averted. He really had dug himself into a hole, this was his own fault. He didn't need to see Armin or talk to him, but he let his emotions get in the way.

Armin spoke again "Look at me please sir."

He complied with Armin's request; it was pointless now to attempt to salvage the situation.

He faced Armin and allowed the boy to scrutinise him thoroughly after staring at him for ten seconds the look of recognition and shock became apparent on Armin's face.

"Teru." he muttered softly, not believing his own eyes.

The aforementioned prosecutor nodded "Yes, it is me Armin."

The blond haired boy stared in confusion "But you are supposed to be dead."

The prosecutor shook his head "I see you heard about that, no, I saw that you left to join the Survey Corps, and so I faked my own death and followed you."

Armin began to choke up and buried his head into Mikami's shirt "I am so sorry, I've ruined everything. I ruined your cult, I destroyed our lives and I got Eren killed."

Mikami calmed Armin by speaking "It's alright Armin, listen to me, Eren wouldn't have wanted you to sit here and die. I don't care about the cult, I don't care about my position all I care about is that you are kept safe."

Armin sat quietly and said nothing.

Teru continued "What was that dream that you two had? To explore the world outside the walls, wasn't it? You can't do that if you are dead. I understand that you are in pain, and Mikasa is in pain as well, but I need to get these cadets off this rooftop and somewhere safe, in order to do that I need you to be committed. Can you do that for me?"

Armin nodded "Yeah, I can."

Mikami smiled slightly "Good, and Armin keep this secret to yourself. As far as everyone else knows I am still Albrecht Han."

Armin nodded again, and stood up. He walked into the crowd slowly but surely. Teru felt proud for some reason.

He clicked his tongue and looked around; now he was going to have to work out a plan to get everyone out.

He marched into the crowd and pulled out a map, ready to get to work.


	10. The Battle of Trost Part Four

Mikami took a knee on the roof and brought out a map from inside his coat pocket, he began to make markings on the map with a pencil, trying to find the best route to use. As far as he remembered, the east sector was clear, but they needed to get to the HQ. It was out of the question to go east; it would lead to a very roundabout way of reaching their destination. Safe maybe, but fuel was a problem already.

"Alright cadets form up!" shouted the Commissar, raising his voice to be heard.

The cadets began to form up slowly and messily, confused as to what exactly the Commissar wanted from them.

Mikami shouted again "Come on, three ranks! Tallest to the right and shortest to the left, smallest in the front rank and tallest in the rear! You have one minute, go!"

This lead to a very odd formation with the ranks progressively growing smaller as they went further left. A blond haired girl he hadn't bothered to acknowledge, Armin and Annie were in the furthest left rank. Bertolt, Reiner and some other tall cadet were in the furthest right.

"Alright!" said Teru placing himself in front of the formation, and raising his hand for silence. He had to establish some form of order for this to be a successful mission.

"First row, from the right numbers!" barked Albrecht, asserting his authority.

"One!"

"Two!"

"Three!"

"Four!"

"Five!"

"Six!"

"Seven!"

"Eight!"

"Nine!"

"Ten!"

Mikami took control again "Second and third rows, you assume the number of the man or woman in front of you, repeat that number and remember it! It is important that you do!" He turned his head and focused in on the first row "Even numbers in each row will form a squad with each other, and odd numbers will follow the same idea. Two squads per row, and six in total! I want this done immediately!"

With no further prodding needed, the cadets formed themselves into five man squads. Whilst small, they would be far quicker on their feet than a mass formation of cadets. Teru also knew that it would spread out any titans, making it less likely that a huge congregation of titans would attack.

Casualties would be slim as long as the squads did as ordered, if Mikami was lucky there would be none.

"Now check your gas supplies, how much does everyone have!" barked Teru, it was important that he knew how many people were capable of going on "If you don't know how to check, rap your knuckle off the gas tank. The louder the sound, the less gas you have. Do that now."

The cadets set about following their order, and began to inspect their gas supply. Mikami could tell by the sound alone that a few didn't have enough to make the journey in their current state, luckily he was prepared.

"Alright, everyone who thinks they don't have enough come forward." ordered Teru, reaching into his pocket to feel around for a sharp object.

The cadets without prompting formed up into a line, and awaited his inspection. The Commissar wordlessly began to tinker with their 3DMG and began to tighten various areas of the gear related to the gas. It was a field modification he had learned after memorising the intricacies of his own 3DMG. His Gear was slow yes, but it was extremely economical and efficient. Regardless of his speed, and it was merely a small difference only enough to affect a battle with skilled users, the reduction of speed led to an almost unbelievable increase in the service life of a gas tank. That was why his own was still three quarters full.

Mikami explained to the cadets as he began to modify their 3DMG "I am slowing you down so that you can make the trip. In order to perform certain manoeuvres the gear will make use of a great deal of gas; if the gear is slowed down it will not use as much to give you the momentum to do those manoeuvres. That will ensure you will reach the HQ with gas to spare, and be able to keep pace with your comrades."

Once he finished on the last cadet, he ordered them back into their squads. He warned the teenagers quickly "Don't do flashy manoeuvres, don't go faster than you need to. Even a small burst of speed can deplete your tank at a worrying rate. If you do as I say then you'll make it through this. I won't allow anyone else to die today."

He quickly set about making leaders for the squads, there were six overall. This meant that he was in command of thirty cadets, one leader for each squad.

"Cadet Braun, you are in command of your group." informed Mikami offhandedly, without listening to his response.

"Cadet Ackerman you are the leader of your squad."

"Cadet Kirstein, you will lead your group."

"Cadet Ymir, you will take command of your group."

He came to the end of the squads to the final one with Leonhart and Armin in it. He knew who he would have lead the squad.

"Leonhart, what's your first name?" asked Mikami redundantly, he already knew, this was him making a peace offering. He did beat her like a dog a couple of days ago.

"Annie sir." answered the girl stoically and calmly as usual.

Mikami nodded slowly before looking her in the eyes "Here's your chance to show your capability as a leader. You do well in this; I will have that written on your recommendation. You'll get up the ranks faster no matter what part of the military you choose."

Annie blinked in confusion before understanding and accepting his offering "Thank you sir, I'll do what I can."

Mikami nodded before marching to the edge of the roof "Follow me, and I'll lead you through hell and out of it in one piece. Stick to the buildings and take it slow, follow my pace and match it. Don't rush, unless you wish to be eaten. Avoid the middle of the street; it tends to attract attention from titans. If you run out of gas, hold still. I'll come for you. If that does happen, everyone else continue on to the fort. Alright, follow me."

Mikami launched himself from the building and began making his way across the rooftops whilst keeping a close eye on the cadets behind him. He could hear some cheering enthusiastically as they made their way across the rooftops. He kept a close eye on the titans, who were entering the street. He knew completely avoiding the street was impossible, but if the cadets played it cautiously, the titans wouldn't be able to get them.

Teru could see the barracks in the distance; it was around four to five minutes away. Unfortunately, the titans seemed to have noticed it as well. There were about twelve or so amassed around the building. That was a danger, and could potentially cause the deaths of quite a few cadets.

Teru looked over his shoulder again, and noticed something worrying. Mikasa was advancing ahead of her squad by a large margin, and she was nearly pulling ahead of him. All of the other cadets were staring at her in wonder, but Teru was far from impressed.

" _That fool, she is using high octane styled manoeuvres! She is going to run out in a moment."_

And sure enough just as Mikami predicted, Mikasa fell from the air and landed on a roof before rolling to the street below. Teru wasted no time and kept to his word.

"Advance onwards to the barracks! I'll be with you in a moment!" roared Mikami over the sound of rushing air and pressurised gas as he descended on Mikasa's last known position.

Teru activated his eyes and quickly saw her lying on the ground, she hadn't fallen well. In fact Mikami knew well what had happened. She had tried to keep ahead of her squad but remain close at the same time. So she was manoeuvring back into line when she fell. She had probably sprained or broken her leg.

Mikasa groaned in pain and listened to heavy footsteps coming her way, she lifted her sword and looked at the sky "I guess this is it Eren, I'm sorry. I didn't think about what I was doing and now I am paying for it."

Mikami landed beside her "You can pay back your debt fully at a later date."

He hoisted the girl on to his shoulder, as he turned to make his way out Mikami saw an obese titan walking towards him. He frowned, this was a bad situation. He turned to make his way out the other way, but saw another fifteen meter class titan walk its way around the corner.

Mikami noted that it looked different; it was muscled and had pointed ears. It also had brilliant green eyes, but what really surprised him was its name.

"Eren Jaeger?" the Commissar muttered softly, before using the moment of each titan's distraction to pull himself and Mikasa to the top of the building. He made it just in time, as the titan that shared Eren's name had lunged forward and punched the other titan crushing the pavement that they had stood on.

The fat titan's head was punched off, and its body fell to the ground. Mikami could tell that it would regenerate as the nape of its neck was still in good shape. However the abnormal had no intentions of allowing that.

The Rogue Titan roared and stomped on the nape of the other creature, completely killing it. It turned to face Mikami and Mikasa, and stared for a moment before breathing in sharply and moving onwards towards its next victims.

As he turned to get both of them away, Teru took full notice of the fact that the titan which shared Jaeger's name had attacked the other titan instead of going for himself and Mikasa.

Teru would have been surprised, but today he had learned that he knew nothing about titans. But, the coincidence was uncanny. It had the same eyes that Eren had, but it could be all just a coincidence, and Mikami would treat it as such for now.

"Cadet Ackerman? Are you alright?" asked the Commissar whilst assessing her condition. She was one of Armin's friends and he had semi-raised her for about two years, it would be a lie for him to say he didn't care for her. But as far as he knew, she and Eren had never really liked him.

Mikasa coughed softly before speaking "I think I sprained my ankle, it hurts a lot. I am not dead though, so thank you sir."

Teru looked at her with a stare promising pain when they reached the barracks. He warned her slowly of her impending punishment "We will talk about this when we get to the armoury. That was undeniably foolish."

As he prepared to continue on to the armoury Mikasa spoke again "Sir, we could use that titan. If it attacks its own kind, we could lead it to the barracks. Maybe we can get it to clear the way for us to escape when we have resupplied?"

Mikami nodded "It will make its way there already, I can tell. If it is aggressive towards titans, it will act in a similar way to a titan hunting humans. It will go towards high concentrations of titans, and so I am certain that it will make its way to the armoury. I can only hope it is completely non-hostile to humans."

He then used his 3DMG to propel himself from the roof, the entire scene had barely lasted a minute or so.

He propelled forwards and soon came to land on a building just before the armoury; there were a number of broken windows on the building so he assumed that the cadets had already made it in.

A quick look at the titans on the ground revealed that there was no blood on the ground, so it seemed that he had succeeded in attaining a zero casualty rate.

He propelled himself through the window into a dark room, with upturned furniture and papers lying on the floor. Mikami assumed that this was where the office had been.

He gently pulled Mikasa off his shoulder; there was no point in him making the injuries worse. He propped her up against the wall, before taking a look at the situation inside the room.

Kirstein was grabbing another cadet by his shirt and raising his fist in a threating manner, and Teru knew why. These were the cadets who had been abandoned in the building by the commander, but Kirstein likely didn't. He probably thought they were cowards.

"Kirstein! Get off him now! By the walls, they were abandoned here! You harm a hair on his head and I will kill you where you stand!" shouted Mikami diffusing the situation immediately.

"Yes sir." responded Jean, letting go of the cadet immediately. He leaned back against a wall to relax slightly.

"Alright like I promised, everyone is alive! Now if you want to stay that way get further inside the building, the titans are likely to break down the doors now considering the concentration of people in this room. Go!" ordered Mikami, pointing at the door and watching as the cadets quickly went about doing so.

He picked up Mikasa and dragged her inside before laying her on the floor. He would have to make an example of her, as he noticed some cadets were still staring at her in awe. She was indirectly encouraging suicidal behaviour. He appreciated her skill, but convincing others to do what she did was dangerous.

Teru pointed at her and began viciously growling in anger "She is an idiot! Look at her!"

He marched along to a random cadet and grabbed them by their chin directing their head towards Mikasa "She is an idiot!"

"She didn't do what I said! I specifically told you all not to showboat or use dangerous manoeuvres, and she did so anyways! And do you know what she got for it? A damaged leg! She was an idiot! If I hadn't been there, she would have died!" thundered Teru whilst pointing at her.

Mikasa kept quiet, understanding why he was insulting her. She cared for everyone in her squad; she had trained with them for a long time. The Commissar seemed to understand what needed to be done to keep them alive. So she let him continue.

"Everyone down to the gas tanks, I want you all restocked and resupplied. We have almost made it out. I don't care if we are surrounded; there is still a way to get out of this mess so keep doing as I say." said Mikami.

"S-sir?" said a cadet quietly looking at his feet.

"Yes?"

"We can't go down to the ground level, some three metre titans broke in there. And none of us can use our gear down there."

Mikami nodded "Someone look after Cadet Ackerman, I will deal with them. Stay up here, and keep close to the walls. I will be back momentarily."

Mikami marched down the stairs and withdrew the Death Note from his pocket. He was in no danger, all he had to do was sit on the scaffolding and write down the titans' names. Simple.

Teru reached the basement and he climbed onto the scaffolding. He began to hit the hilt of his sword of the wood.

Teru watched as the titans congregated around his feet staring at him in confusion. They didn't attempt to jump at him or seem to really acknowledge him.

They just stared as he wrote down their names. They stared as they ripped out their napes and continued to stare as the life left their eyes.

" _I will have to ask Ryuk about that if I can get the chance, ever since I killed that first titan with the Death Note, they don't seem to react to me in the same way."_

After making sure the room was clear, he made his way back upstairs and informed the cadets.

"The basement is clear, everyone downstairs." said Mikami, he pushed some of the cadets towards the stairs as he waved them through.

He walked down the staircase and into the basement where the cadets had begun refuelling already. They were sitting and talking to each other idly, and Mikami realised by the looks on their faces that they needed a break. Morale was high, and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Alright everyone, take fifteen minutes to relax. After that, we will be heading outside again. There are some rations over there." he pointed to a box that was sitting unopened against the wall. Teru himself took a seat against the wall "If you are tired then sleep for a while once you are refuelled, if you are hungry eat the rations. If you are thirsty, there is a water pump on the second floor, go and drink your fill."

"Cadet Kirstein, get upstairs and keep an eye out for anything worth noting. Take some rations with you if you are hungry." ordered Mikami, the boy saluted and headed up the stairs.

Teru closed his eyes and listened to the cadets droning on to each other, they were in good spirit. A good half of a successful battle was thinking that you would win it; morale was a precious commodity in the military and it was of incomparable value. He may be a Commissar, but that didn't mean that he kept morale up just by fearmongering. He was also aware of the role of rewards, promotions and kind words as well as his own behaviour in increase morale. Luckily, he was capable and willing to do all of these things. It was like the position was made for him.

He heard someone take a seat beside him and turned to see Armin sitting by his side. Teru nodded and leaned obligingly towards Armin, showing him that he was listening to what he wanted to say.

Armin spoke quietly so as to not blow Mikami's cover "Reverend, what happened to your face?"

"I burned it with a candle so that I would be hard to recognise when I joined the military. I cut my hair as well, although I prefer my hair to be longer. I made myself fake documents as well; as far as the world is concerned I am Albrecht Han." muttered Mikami lowly.

Armin nodded before looking in curiosity at his eyes "What happened to your glasses?"

"I have never truly needed glasses; it was just a force of habit."

"But doesn't that give you horrendous headaches?" asked Armin.

"It did."

Armin nodded before asking another question "What is your plan, what do you want do now?"

Mikami looked at Armin oddly before shaking his head "Plan? I have no plan; you complicated things immensely when you left. My only objective was to find you again and make sure you were safe. After that, well that is where I am now. I never thought this far ahead."

Mikami got up "I will be back in a moment." He walked towards a table and wordlessly cut the legs from underneath it. He picked up the legs and walked to the ration box. He reached inside and pulled out a metal teapot. The faintest look of satisfaction graced his face as he brought it back to where he had been sitting.

He neatly placed the four legs in a pile and cut them into smaller sections before stacking them on top of each other. He brought out a match and lit the legs on fire. He had gloves on, so he was confident that he could bring the teapot out when he thought it was ready.

He poured water from his canteen into the teapot and took a tea bag from his own rations and put it into the pot. He then placed it into the fire and allowed it to boil.

"Tea Armin?" asked Mikami staring at the boiling tea with an almost foreign look of contentment.

Armin smiled politely "Thank you that would be very nice."

Armin laughed softly as he saw Mikami pour the tea into a pair of metal mugs; it was so odd to see him act this way. Armin was aware that his guardian took pleasure in small things, but tea seemed to be his drug. Teru had once mentioned that his mother made good tea, this confused Armin as he knew that Mikami's mother had died in childbirth.

Mikami sipped at the tea calmly before putting it down and looking at Armin "You were a fool to run away from me, you realise?"

Armin looked down at the ground "I am sorry, but Eren and Mikasa wanted to join the military. It was my duty to join with up with them, you always said loyalty and honesty was important. I couldn't have let them go alone."

Teru frowned "I understand why, and it isn't worth my time to be angry about it. I am only disappointed and am just telling you that I thought it was honestly quite naïve and foolish. Look where it got you and Eren, was it worth it?"

Armin started to tear up slightly, but Mikami showed no quarter "Was it worth the life of your friend Armin? All for what? Some petty vendetta against an entire species, I raised you better than this. What about Mikasa, she wanted nothing more than to live peacefully with you two. If you had wanted, you could have convinced Eren to not join. Was it really worth it?"

Armin sat for a moment in silence before answering "It was."

Mikami cocked his eyebrow "What do you mean?"

"Eren, Mikasa and I trained hard to get this far. So what if Eren's dead? He wouldn't want us moping around, he wanted to do something useful with his life and so he sacrificed it to save my own. I won't let his sacrifice go to waste; Mikasa and I can grieve about his death later but for now we have to keep on living. I am not living if I sit and cower behind a wall, that isn't the life of a human. That is the life of livestock." explained Armin firmly.

Teru nodded in understanding and left that as his only answer. Armin had grown up, and he had missed it. That was strangely comforting and yet depressing.

He rose to his feet and Armin spoke up "You should tell Mikasa who you are, she will understand. She needs you anyways; you're the closest thing any of us had to a parental figure after Wall Maria fell. She is hurting from Eren, and I can't do anything about that. You are the best person to talk to her about that. You have a way with words; you can probably help Mikasa get over it for now."

"Very well, you've grown up Armin. I am proud of you. Sometimes I wish you were a bit more cowardly than you are." said Mikami before stalking off to where Mikasa had been laid down.

He took a seat beside her and noticed that Sasha of all people was looking after her. He nodded at her as a greeting "You're dismissed Braus, I will take care of her. Go get something to eat."

She nodded frantically "Thanks sir!" and rushed off with a look of intense longing on her face.

Mikami looked to Mikasa "Braus? I wasn't aware that she was a capable care-taker."

Mikasa nodded "She is from a hunting village; she knows how to deal with sprained legs. Besides, while she can be a bit empty headed, she is far smarter than she looks. She is a good person as well."

Teru looked her in the eyes "I will cut to the point Mikasa, I am Mikami."

She blinked in surprise for a moment before nodding "I believe you, the way you walked and talked seemed very like you. I wouldn't have ever guessed but now that I know, it makes sense. I guess you came to keep an eye on Armin?"

He nodded "Yes, along with you and Eren. Although it would seem that I have failed in that regard."

Mikasa seized up and kept silent.

"How are you feeling Mikasa?" asked Teru, looking at her and scrutinising her expression.

"Honestly?"

"Of course."

"Like my heart has been torn out." answered Mikasa.

He nodded "I would imagine so, Eren didn't deserve to die."

"No he didn't!" she hissed quickly before sitting herself up and leaning against the wall.

"You were reckless Mikasa, I can tell. When you were leading your squad, I entrusted you with their lives. And yet, you lost your own will to live. You care for them don't you?"

She nodded.

"Then why give up? If I remember you, Eren and Armin were always like me in that regard. Steadfast and determined. Eren was determined to join the Survey Corps and exterminate all the titans to avenge his mother. Armin was determined to break free from what he saw as a cage and explore the outside world. And you, you were determined to protect you brother and your friends and were prepared to go the ends of the earth for them. Eren remained determined and so has Armin, but what about you? You seem to be wavering." commented Mikami as he looked at the other cadets who were talking amongst themselves.

"Eren is dead, how can I be determined to do something if I have failed?"

"Armin is still alive as far as I can see, and notice that I said "friends" not "friend". You have new comrades who respect and care from you; it is cowardly to forsake that for Eren who wouldn't ever want you to do that. And what if you die? Eren dies with you; you have his memories, unique ones that only you and he shared. If you die, then all of that is lost. In a way that would kill him again wouldn't it?"

Mikasa blinked before nodding slowly "You're right; Eren wouldn't forgive me if I allowed myself to give up. I have to live for both my own and his sake." She smiled slightly as she thought of him before turning to Mikami "What about you?"

"Pardon?"

"What are you determined to do?" asked Mikasa again, curious as to his response.

Mikami stood up and brushed himself off before answering "I am going to fix things Mikasa, and I will go through hell to do it."

"Why are you so obsessed with justice? The world is cruel and callous, only the strong survive."

"At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst. It is my desire to keep man at his best." said Mikami

He starting walking and was prepared to retake his old seat when Jean hurried down the staircase and all but sprinted over to him "Sir you won't believe it, there is an abnormal titan destroying its own kind out there."

Mikami grabbed Jean's shoulder to steady him "Good, then he is just on time, thank you Kirstein you can fall back in with the rest of the cadets. Go and get Braus to carry Mikasa." He turned and whistled loudly to bring attention to himself "Alright everyone, we are packing up and heading out. I want everybody to assemble on the rooftop and wait for me."

He began to retrieve some logistical documents along with the register of personnel stationed in the HQ last, including the list of officers who had been present during the ongoing battle.

" _This is useful, it will make it easier for me to track down the officers and execute them when I regroup with the military behind the wall."_

Mikami looked around as he heard some soft footsteps and a sudden crash as a crate fell over and smashed. He frowned in displeasure; it was Ymir and that small blond haired girl that she seemed fond of.

"Get up the stairs Ymir or else I will drag you up them." warned Teru, as he folded up the documents and placed them inside a pocket in his coat.

She made a face at him before nodding and walking up the staircase. As she hurried upstairs it became apparent that the blond haired girl had not followed in tow.

"Sorry sir for Ymir, she can be quite clumsy. I am sure she didn't mean to knock over that box." explained the girl quietly and kindly.

Mikami nodded "It is of no consequence, now go and get to the roof Cadet…" Mikami frowned, he didn't know her name. He activated his Shinigami Eyes and obtained it "Reiss."

She blinked in shock at him before staring at him blankly for a moment "S-sorry sir?"

"I said get upstairs and onto the roof Cadet Reiss." repeated Mikami with a frown.

"H-how did y-" before she could finish she was cut off.

"On to the roof now! You are trying my patience!" warned Mikami.

The girl nodded meekly and hurried up the staircase quickly like a frightened rabbit.

Mikami followed suit as he headed up the staircase he thought to himself.

" _Reiss? Have I heard that name before?"_

He shook his head; it didn't matter at the moment. He would answer that question in due course.


	11. The Battle of Trost Part Five

Teru calmly surveyed the chaos occurring on the street below; it appeared that the Rogue titan had bitten off more than it could chew so to speak. Its brethren had now begun feasting on it, tearing into it in frenzy as if was a feast. The Rogue kept relatively quiet, either from exhaustion or indifference; regardless it didn't seem to be feeling much pain.

" _What should I do now Eren Jaeger, assuming of course that is actually you? It would be easy to leave you here to die; it would certainly make things easier for me. But of course, I do owe a fair deal to Grisha, and assuming that you aren't him? A titan that hunts its own kind would be an extremely powerful weapon. Humanity could have use for you."_

Teru clicked his tongue in signifying that he had weighed his options, it was decided: he would let the boy, or titan, live. The only problem being that he was surrounded by several more feral titans. The Death Note was out of the question, using it in front of the cadets and being seen would be extremely dangerous. Oddly enough, the safer option was to charge into the mouths of the beasts.

"Sir?" asked Mikasa, who was currently being propped up by Sasha whom was acting as a crutch for the other soldier.

"Yes?" asked Teru, not turning but lending Mikasa his ear.

"We have to make sure that titan lives, it is the greatest hope humanity has had in a century."

"Of course, that titan is extremely important, letting him meet his end here would be foolish." replied Mikami pondering his next moves "I don't suppose you have a safe way to approach, I would rather not mindlessly send cadets into the slaughter for lack of a better alternative."

Mikasa herself started to think, and found she was drawing up blanks; someone would be hurt even if they were near perfect. It wasn't particularly nice, but she knew life was cruel and that her approach had to reflect that.

Mikasa voiced her opinion "The life of that titan is probably worth more than any of our own."

Mikami reproached her sharply "Cadets are worth more than you might think, each of you is worth two years of training, you aren't expendable. Not irreplaceable, but losing a cadet is painful for our war effort. Your lives aren't cheap; you have to live two years for your training to have been a worthy investment."

Mikasa responded quickly "And what if that titan is worth one hundred cadets? What then?"

Teru kept silent, but Mikasa pressed onward.

"That titan isn't regenerating anymore, I think whatever he is could be the key to us escaping this situation."

"I agree." said Reiner, grouped together with Annie, Bertoldt and Jean. He turned to look at Mikami "Sir, it is no use leaving it there. If we let it get ripped to shreds like that then we will have learned nothing. We should at least try and keep it alive."

Jean turned in shock to face him "Are you insane Reiner? We can finally escape this death-trap and you want to go back in there and save it?"

Annie spoke up "But what if the titan becomes an ally? It alone is stronger than any cannon. It could be priceless to us."

Jean shook his head in disbelief "An ally? Are you hearing yourself?"

Armin took no notice of the argument instead focusing in on a tall thin blond haired titan walking in front of them. He pointed to it "Hey! That is the abnormal that killed Thomas!"

Teru looked at it before turning in surprise to the Rogue. It roared in anger before pulling itself out of the building which had been holding it up. With no warning it clamped down on the abnormal's neck before lifting it into the air.

The other titans moved to deal with their former feast, but the Rogue used the other titan as a blunt weapon and crushed the other creatures. The final one was sent flying into a building, completely rendering it immobile and likely dead.

"It seems the situation has resolved itself." noted Teru, astonished by the Rogue's strength and endurance.

The titan let out a bestial roar of triumph. After finishing he began to sway as its wounds caught up with him and forced him to the ground. There was a deafening silence as the creature lay motionless on the ground.

The commissar stared intently as the steam from the titan's evaporating wounds became an almost all encompassing fog. He might not be able to make out what was occurring, but a quick check revealed that the titan's name was not Eren anymore. That meant that it had either died, or something else.

A shadowy figure could be seen raising from the nape of the neck, trying to free itself from the fleshy prison it had been interned in.

Mikasa stared in shock before stumbling forward out of Sasha's grasp; before the other girl could say anything she was running despite her injured legs' protest and jumped off of the roof using ODM gear to propel herself straight to the body.

Armin apparently saw something as well, as he too jumped off and made his way towards the titan's body like a man possessed.

Teru watched the mist clear, as it began to disperse he realised what they had seen. Perhaps he was incapable of seeing the boy's name, but it appeared that he had been correct. No, there was no mistaking. Mikasa's and Armin's tears of joy proved it was the friend they thought dead.

So, humans could turn into titans?

Mikami blinked before looking at Jean who was staring in shock at the sight, he looked as if the air had been stolen from his lungs.

Teru smirked slightly; he had to hold in an almost blissful grin. It seemed that his suspicions were right. Titan changers? No, titan shifters, humans with the ability to change into titans. How interesting.

Teru turned to look at the group of three and specifically Bertolt. That meant it seemed ever more likely. It wasn't certain, but all the more reason to keep an eye of the boy. He wouldn't kill him; no he wanted to see if it was just a coincidence.

The former prosecutor realised something.

" _What of his friends? Didn't Bertolt seem very protective of Annie? Perhaps she is one too? No, it is too quick to be jumping to conclusions. I will let these pieces come together in their own time."_

He blinked for a moment, before shaking his head in confusion. This was yet another thing to add to a rapidly increasing list of complications in his plans. It seemed that God enjoyed foiling his strategies.

On that note, Teru hadn't seen Ryuk around; he wondered what the Death God was up to. He was no doubt enjoying the drama of the situation; it was the greatest form of entertainment to him.

"Commissar uh, what should we do now?" asked Jean in confusion, unable to make heads or tails of the sight before him.

The Fourth Kira blinked before turning to face him "I think it's best to bring him back behind the wall don't you?"

Although phrased as a question, it was an obvious order as the cadets needed no further incentive to make their way back to the wall. All of them, including Armin and Mikasa with Eren in tow made their way towards the walls.

Sasha stepped forward "Uh… sir? Is it safe to let Mikasa use her ODM, I mean she did sprain her ankle? Like, I wouldn't stop her or anything because she is scary but…"

"Useless. The girl wouldn't let a broken leg stop her never mind a sprained ankle. She will be seen to at a later time, the damage should be repairable." answered Mikami with a wave of his hand.

Sasha stopped and began to pull out a small ration bar, a relatively tasteless thing that the military had introduced recently; they were now infamous for being as hard as a rock. That didn't stop Sasha. She bit into it as her face became the image of bliss.

Teru frowned "You are quite the glutton, how can you eat so much in one day?"

Sasha smiled as parts of the bar covered her face "I grew up in a hunting village, food was scarce there. My Mom and Dad taught me never to let food go to waste."

"Doesn't the government help alleviate food problems?" asked Teru in calculated interest.

Sasha took another bite and shook her head before swallowing and answering "No, they don't do much. A famine hit us nine years ago, and they just let it happen. My uncle's pretty smart; he said they have a "Lassetz fair" approach or something."

"A Laissez-faire approach I presume, yes that would describe it. It means they don't intervene in these situations for fear of harming the economy; they just let things happen and sort themselves out. I take it that you export hides or animal skins to the capital and other districts? They won't interfere with the market because they see it as potentially damaging. Your village was on the receiving end of that negligence." explained Mikami pondering the topic himself, he had done politics in university as well, and was well-versed in some of these matters.

Sasha's eyes hardened "Yeah, well that wasn't what we needed. We lost a quarter of our population because of that famine. Only a tenth actually died, but lots moved to the settlements and towns in Wall Rose, a lot ended up going to work in the factories there. Why didn't the government do anything?"

Mikami turned suddenly startling Sasha slightly "These famines, are they common amongst the farming and hunting villages?"

"Yeah, I suppose, we hate the government for it to say the least. They occur about ever twenty or so years; usually they kill off a tenth of our population. We villagers tend to have a lot of children though, so we keep growing anyways."

"Would you prefer the government to directly intervene on these matters, and make sure that all of your population and food was allocated properly?" asked Teru already thinking of something.

"Yeah, us villagers would love that kind of thing, we have always wanted the government to help us out and get us fair prices for our skins or crop." said Sasha with a smile.

Mikami nodded absorbing the information "Thank you. Now go quickly, I will catch up within the hour I need to contemplate."

The girl nodded without thinking about it and rushed off to escape.

As soon as she was out of sight Mikami turned and called out loudly "Ryuk."

The Shinigami floated up from inside the building Teru was on top of stopping in front of the prosecutor "Yeah?"

"Would you answer a few questions for me?" asked the Commissar.

"Sure, but you have to pay me in apples, you grow pretty good ones." demanded Ryuk with a hunger crazed look in his eyes.

It was true; Teru had taken to growing an apple tree near the house he had been given in the capital, courtesy of the Royal Government. It was likely a ploy to buy his loyalty, but he was willing to accept it. He made sure that the apples were well cared for, giving him easy payment for Ryuk. It had miraculously already begun producing fruit even though it had only been planted for two years.

"Very well, I will get you some of my own plus some others I will buy for you. Is that acceptable?"

The Death God nodded energetically "Thanks, apples aren't as common since that wall fell, the markets have stopped selling them as much. I have had to cut down to one a day! It is stressful."

"Can you transport books from my own world?" asked Teru with interest.

Ryuk stared at him for a moment thinking, he began tapping his chin before nodding slowly "To an extent yeah, not exactly from your world, but one extremely similar to yours. Why? Do you need another Death Note or something? I can get you one if you need it, for a fee of course, but you use your own one so rarely. And to be honest, I am being pretty lax about the whole accomplice thing."

"No, I require several books on politics, if I write their names down do you think you could acquire them for me? I can pay you for them as well."

"As long as they are books I can do that, but don't expect me to go and get you a machine gun or something. Books are the limit."

"That is acceptable, I will need several." said Mikami, before beginning to write down their names on a piece of paper for Ryuk.

After finishing writing down the names of the books that he wanted, he handed the sheet of paper to Ryuk.

The God of Death lazily grasped it before reading it with the enthusiasm of a high school delinquent reading a text book. His eyes scanned through the list of books before a few caught his attention, prompting him to bring the piece of paper closer to his eyes. He blinked several times in surprise.

Ryuk lowered the piece of paper before staring at Mikami with interest "I remember some of these guys, that period of history was quite interesting when I got a chance to have a look. Tell you what; don't worry about paying me for the books, just the question. If this is even as remotely as interesting as I think it might be, it will be worth it."

Teru nodded before sitting down in thought, pondering the recent turn of events.

Ryuk floated beside him horizontally "Anything else? I will get these to you in a couple of days. I can't just go and grab them as easily as you might think. Three days minimum, but a week is probably realistic."

"That is acceptable; I will deal with other affairs until then. What of Mello, Matt and Takada?" asked Mikami going out on a limb that Ryuk may tell him something useful.

"They are all still alive if that is what you were wondering, although I won't tell you where they are at the moment, except Takada. She is still in Wall Sina."

"I take it the other two have joined the military?"

"Yeah, although you probably knew that already." said Ryuk before looking at the sky. He looked at Mikami out of the corner of his eye "Your little ploy to make them think you are dead probably didn't work, last I checked they are still looking for you."

Teru blinked confusedly "What do you mean? I never believed that I could fake my death and convince them it was true, but I knew that I could disappear easily enough. So far, at least in that regard, my position at the moment is the last place they would be able to look into. They probably think I am like Light, and thus wouldn't take part in front-line fighting. That means that they probably think I am in the capital, and thus are probably trying to join the Military Police."

Ryuk's grin even wider "You sure are insightful, nothing gets by you huh?"

"I have to get back; I have some affairs to look into."

Ryuk sighed slightly "That Woerman guy huh? Why don't you just write his name in the book? I mean you could kill him now with the flick of a wrist."

Mikami shook his head "I can't do that."

"Why's that?"

Mikami spoke softly "Because then I wouldn't be able to see the scum's life fade away before me. I want to crush him underneath my boot and let him waste away. I want to humiliate him, intimidate him, and then I will destroy him."

"Is death not enough anymore?"

"No, Death is too kind for some. I want them to suffer before they depart." explained the Fourth Kira.

With that Teru began making his way towards the walls and the gate to the rendezvous point.

"For the glory of the human race, permit me in the last moments before I die, to explain his strategic importance!" screamed Armin desperately, with his eyes closed and his fist firmly against his heart in a salute.

There was a moment of silence as Captain Woerman kept mute in shock and indecision.

"Captain, we should at le-" began a subordinate only to be cut off.

"Silence!" roared Woerman, before turning to face the trio again.

" _No matter what they say, they are still rebels! Those that would rebel must be dealt with, that is the duty of a soldier!"_

Woerman raised his hand back to signal the cannon to fire, only to feel someone grab it from behind.

"Cut it out already." began the Commander, looking disappointed "Honestly as big as you are you still have the guts of a scared fawn."

"Commander Pixis?" asked Woerman in surprise.

The commander lowered Woerman's arm "Besides can't you see how magnificent his salute is?" He walked forward and pointed at Armin to illustrate.

The wizened man scratched his chin in thought, the boy before him had brought up some interesting points.

He looked to see a figure approaching before smiling slightly "Speaking of cowardice, here comes the Commissar. Honestly Captain, you need to toughen up."

Mikami approached rapidly before stopping in front of one of the guards who was holding a musket. He had broken his own whilst moving around after helping hold the line.

"Give me your musket." ordered Mikami simply with a blank look in his eyes.

Wordlessly the soldier handed the weapon to Mikami who snatched it and began checking that it was in firing condition. After checking that it was working he lowered it and began approaching Woerman.

He stopped in front of him before staring at him coldly "Captain Woerman, you retreated from the frontlines without permission from high command or my consultation. You left your soldiers as well. Such flagrant spinelessness is tantamount to treason. The punishment for traitors is death."

With that Mikami raised his musket and pointed it directly at Woerman's head who was by this point terrified.

"Calm down Commissar, no one else needs to die unnecessarily today, I will have Woerman put on trial and disciplined for his cowardice." ordered Pixis, seeing the danger of the situation.

Mikami turned to stare at him "Commander Pixis… of the Garrison?"

"Yes."

Mikami's glare hardened "You have no authority over who I summarily execute; I am a member of the Military Police."

Pixis smirked slightly "Maybe so, but I do have authority over you in times of skirmishing or battle. This is an order, don't shoot that man."

Teru stared at him for a moment entering into a contest of will with the Commander, after glaring at each other for a moment, Mikami lowered his weapon.

"As you wish, I will not shoot him."

Pixis blinked for a moment and realised that he had made a mistake in his phrasing.

The Commissar brought the stock of the weapon across Woerman's face hard. The result was instantaneous, with the man's nose breaking instantly. He was sent falling to the ground before he could even figure out what was happening.

The Commissar began beating Woerman savagely like a dog, smashing his limbs and arms with the musket. Several sickening cracks were heard as Mikami broke the captain's arms and legs.

Pixis raised his hand "Commissar Han!"

"Commander I am disciplining a deserter, unless you wish for me to kill him, I would suggest that you allow this to happen."

Pixis stared with a deep frown "Very well, but if you permanently damage him there will be consequences."

Albrecht nodded before lifting Woerman to his feet, he looked the man in the eyes "I was taught that there are several non-fatal ways to leave a lasting impression on a man."

Teru handed the musket back to the soldier he had taken it from and brought his sword out and placed it careful underneath Woerman's nail. He stared coolly at the Captain.

"I will take two, and allow you to walk away." explained Mikami, carefully positioning the sword so that the tip had dug underneath the nail.

Woerman, to his credit, nodded slowly and closed his eyes and prepared for the pain to come.

"Open your eyes, you have to watch."

Woerman opened his eyes and steeled himself.

He felt a sharp pain in his finger as his nail was slowly being uprooted; he bit his tongue to stop himself from screaming. After a moment, the Commissar was finished with both, and his nails were in a bloodied state.

Albrecht nodded slowly "You are hereby removed from your duties, you will be escorted to a holding cell and will face trial when High Command sees fit."

He gestured and two men nodded before grabbing the former captain and dragging him off.

"I will assume command, as the current leadership has proved to be incompetent. The captain's former detachment is now my own." stated Mikami simply sheathing his sword. He turned to face Pixis "I await your orders."

Pixis sighed slowly "Organise the men, have them gathered up and kept together. I will have a chat with these three here."

Albrecht saluted "By your orders."

Teru turned before beckoning "Brzenska, with me." He began walking forward without slowing his pace following where Woerman and the guards who had detained him had gone.

The white haired woman nodded curtly before following behind him, mindfully keeping a pace behind him.

"What was the state of the troops before Woerman was relieved?" asked Mikami without turning.

Brzenska began speaking "They are organised and gathered sir, but permission to be frank?"

"Granted."

"They are in a horrible state sir; I wouldn't be surprised if half of them deserted the moment the Armoured Titan comes."

"Well, I can fix that easily." reassured Mikami with a wave of his hand, as if it wasn't a pressing matter.

Brzenska raised her eyebrows "How, if you don't mind me asking sir?"

The duo took a left around a street heading into an alley, before cutting into the main market area, where a sea of men and woman had accumulated.

Mikami turned to her "If you wish to keep them from deserting, they must be more afraid of the commander to their rear than the enemy to their front." He nodded slowly to himself "Inspire patriotism, reward bravery, and punish cowardice. That is the maxim by which the moral of a fighting force is kept strong. If I keep to that, I will have a committed military force that is willing to fight and die if necessary with a resolve stronger than hardened steel."

Brzenska nodded slowly "How are you going to inspire patriotism? Forgive me sir, but you don't strike me as a speech giver."

"You would be surprised, but no, that will be Commander Pixis' duty. Have faith, from what I have heard he is well liked amongst the garrison. To reward bravery, we offer promotions to those willing to stay, that coupled with prestige and personal pride should keep them here and fighting." said Mikami calmly surveying the mass of people with a critical eye.

"What about cowardice?"

"We need a scapegoat. Which is why we are going to collect Woerman now, he is no longer under Pixis' protection."

Brzenska kept quiet, but her concern was palpable.

The Commissar nodded slowly "You may have noticed that I stripped him of his rank, which was purposeful. Now he is by all rights a treasonous civilian, and can be dealt with as such."

With that Mikami began walking amongst the crowd, parting it as he marched directly towards what Brzenska assumed to be Woerman, but she couldn't see. She kept close; following him threw the slew of people that suffocated the street.

Mikami grabbed Woerman, by the scruff of his neck, and with a look promising death he convinced the men who had detained him to swiftly let go.

Mikami spoke quickly handing a book to the two men "Gather these officers as well, I want them brought to the front gate, get help if you need it. Go now!"

Mikami withdrew his pistol and pointed it at Woerman's back "Walk, if you run, I will kill you."

" _I will kill you anyways."_

Brzenska stared uncomfortably as her former superior officer was pushed forward by the Commissar.

Woerman, to his credit, hid his fear and kept quiet walking steadily towards where Mikami was pushing him.

As far as Brzenska could see, the Commissar was pushing him towards the gate, likely the defences before it to be exact. That would put him in full view of the troops gathered by it, likely his intention.

Woerman spoke softly, exhausted and the energy that he had once had drained from him "I am going to be executed aren't I?"

Teru nodded simply "Yes."

"My family?"

"They will stop receiving payments on your behalf. They are not allowed to claim a military pension."

Woerman sighed sharply before turning to Brzenska "Rico, I know I wasn't the best commander, but do me one last favour. Look after my family, please."

Rico didn't know what to say, but she felt cornered by the situation and nodded.

Another sigh, this time of relief, was heard as Woerman kept walking towards the gate.

"How will I be executed? Firing squad, flogging, or decapitation?" asked Woerman, with calm and interest that only acceptance of death could bring about.

"Firing squad, Brzenska and I will kill you."

Brzenska inhaled sharply her stomach turning "Sorry sir, could you repeat that?"

"He will be shot, and his body left to hang as a message to cowards, you will be on the squad with Me." clarified Mikami, whilst pushing him to the edge of the crowd.

Brzenska tried again "Perhaps another form of execution would suffice?"

"Very well, he could also be flayed alive or perhaps a blood eagle would suffice?" offered Mikami brutally.

"B-blood eagle?" asked Brzenska disturbed by the thought of it.

Albrecht defined it simply "Execution by pulling his lungs and ribs out of his back."

Brzenska stared in shock at Mikami.

The Commissar shook his head "I don't think you truly understand the amount of knowledge that has been imparted to me, nearly every method of execution ever practiced is not only legal under my jurisdiction, it is encouraged. The government prefers me to be cruel, so that others will know not to act up."

Woerman was shivering by this point "Couldn't you just shoot me now?"

Teru shot him down quickly "Too quick, I want you to regret what you did; besides you need to be around as a reminder, it is far better to do it in front of a crowd."

The gate came into view and Mikami brought him to the front of the crowd. He forced Woerman to his knees carefully training the pistol on him should the man choose to run.

"Make peace with God or whatever you worship, because this is your final hour." advised Teru.

Rico spoke up again "Sir, what are we waiting for now?"

"The other officers that ran with him, they all must be killed."

There was another purpose to it, but Mikami wasn't going to tell her why.

"Who ran?"

"All of them."

"You're going to kill all the officers?" cried Brzenska in shock.

"Not all of them _Lieutenant_." corrected Mikami.

"Lieutenant? Sir I am a squad leader."

"Consider that your promotion, I will fill in the paperwork later."

Teru turned to see a string of officers being pushed to the front of the crowd, which was beginning to mutter in confusion. Another group of soldiers were constructing a makeshift stage, a haphazard object made of a few market stalls among other things, but it would do.

"Brzenska, go and grab a musket, and collect a few others for the squad, we will need about fifteen or so. Make sure they are armed." ordered Mikami keeping his eye on Woerman who was quietly praying to himself.

She nodded and quickly departed to do as ordered.

Teru stared calmly at Woerman "You are odd, you retreated from battle and ran to save your life, yet now you face death without so much as a single cry of fear."

"What else can I do, a soldier lives his life in service to the government, and at least I will die a soldier's death." muttered Woerman staring up at the sky like an ancient philosopher.

"Temporary solace, you don't bring titles or status with you when you die."

"I don't have the luxury of thinking that way; this is the only comfort I can take apart from my family's safety."

Teru nodded "Then so be it, I will aim for your head."

"You realise that the Commander Pixis will be outraged by this?" commented Woerman looking hopeful.

"And? Let him be, if he feels obligated to try me for whatever reason, I will be protected by Commander Dok and the Royal Government." said Albrecht looking disinterested.

"Protected? Just how important do you think you are?" challenged Woerman with a frown.

"I am the Royal Government's only direct influence on the Survey Corps and the Garrison; I eat alongside these two groups and provide the government with relevant information on their morale and current states of affair. Simply put I am worth being protected." answered Mikami.

The stage by now had been finished being set up, and Mikami grabbed Woerman by the scruff of his neck hoisting him up "Come on, there is no point in delaying the inevitable."

The realisation of what was occurring began to become apparent in the faces of the officers who began looking horrified. The soldiers in the crowd stared on without any hint of emotion unsure how to think of the entire situation. Their emotions were buried under a layer stoic pragmatism, how were they to know that they wouldn't be shot for protesting? It was better to play it safe.

The officers were forced onto the stage each reacting differently, some snivelling whilst others stood stoically and prepared for the inevitable.

Albrecht cleared his throat before speaking "Soldiers, listen to me!"

The collection of soldiers focused their eyes on Teru, giving him their undivided attention.

With a sweeping gesture of his hand he motioned to the officers behind him "These men and women have betrayed their government, themselves but most importantly you!"

Teru kept quiet for a moment before continuing "They are cowards, who consider your lives to be worth less than your own, who would stab you in the back to save themselves. They don't possess even a shred of decency, respect or camaraderie!"

Now, for the propaganda classes to take effect.

He pointed to a random officer behind him "This man was drunk when the colossal titan breached the outer wall, and refused to respond. He sent the cadets and newest members of the Garrison to battle with no gas and refused to go to battle with them instead indulging in another bottle of whiskey!"

A few murmurs went became audible in the soldiers' ranks.

"When I questioned him about this, he assured me that I shouldn't worry. He said that your lives were expendable, and that as long as the officer lived, it was alright. Well? Are you expendable?" asked Mikami loudly and clearly with a hint of challenge.

An audible "no" reverberated amongst the soldiers.

"I asked are you expendable?"

This time a more firm shout was heard.

"The outer wall fell because of these men and women's incompetence and decadence. They are the reason we have lost the district!" shouted Mikami with passion. He looked to them "Your friends, brothers and sisters in arms, and family died because of these men! They caused it, and now they stand before you! They are no longer your superiors; they are no longer your equals! They are trash, and will be treated as such! Will you allow them back into command?

Another "no" reverberated amongst the soldiers with ferocity and anger.

"If the commander wants to reclaim the district, these "men" and "women" will lead you once again. Can we allow this?"

" **No!"**

Mikami raised his hands in a lively manner motioning to the crowd "Of course not! We will deal with them swiftly and viciously, if they show no regard for the lives of their men, then they forfeit their right to live!"

Mikami withdrew his pistol, prompting the firing squad to raise their muskets.

Brzenska raised her weapon looking for a sign to go ahead.

Teru raised his pistol and pointed it at Woerman "For you crimes against the Government and humanity, I hear by sentence you to death!"

With that a thunderous crack of musket fire boomed as the firing squad executed all but one of the officers.

Mikami stared calmly at Woerman who was now clutching his bloodied hand, without saying anything he fired again hitting his other hand.

Woerman screamed in pain and gave Mikami a look that expressed his hatred.

Mikami reloaded both his pistols and calmly shot both of Woerman's knees making the imposing man fall to a pathetic state on the makeshift platform.

Mikami walked over and grabbed Woerman pulling him up "So this is how it ends for you? Pathetic, befitting of your temperament."

Mikami turned to Brzenska "Shoot him." With that he unceremoniously threw Woerman to the woman's feet and gestured at him with a pistol "The head, I promised him that much."

She nodded slowly raising her rifle and pointing at her former captain's head.

Any regret or hesitation could not be felt because of the commanding voice "Do it Lieutenant."

With that she pulled the trigger and the gun fired caving in Woerman's skull instantly.

"Excellent work." murmured Mikami softly.

He turned to the crowd who was now silent, it was now a waiting game, all he needed was for one person to react positively and they would all clap. It was a part of human psychology.

Teru got what he wanted as a small and faint clap could be heard, inspiring others to begin clapping and cheering rapidly.

" _Mob mentality proves yet again to be a powerful tool; the instructors were right about its use."_

Mikami blinked for a moment, before starting to look up at the top of the wall. Commander Pixis was now present, and was preparing to give a speech. Perhaps they were clapping for him?

" _It matters little, my goal has been achieved, when I return to the capital I will exploit it."_

He now had a true plan, and he would do to anything to achieve it.


	12. Another Complication

Teru absentmindedly sipped on the glass of wine in his hand, mulling over his plans in his head. After the mission to reclaim Wall Maria began, relieved from combat and thus he saw nothing. Undoubtedly that was Pixis' doing for his execution of the officers.

An overweight, stout and balding little man was loudly munching on sweets with disgusting gusto. He gobbled up the many delights like a hoover does dust, covering himself in crumbs and grease.

Mikami coughed loudly attempting to draw the man's attention, he was glaring daggers at the man, but the noble seemed about as aware as dodo.

"Lord Balto?" ventured Mikami with a calm and polite tone, a complete contrast to his inner feelings.

This appeared to rouse the aristocrat, who turned and smiled at Mikami "Ah Commissar Han, you must forgive me, sometimes I lose myself in thought."

Teru nodded "That is quite alright, but you and I both know that this visit isn't merely social."

The man's smile faltered for a moment before he waved his hand calling over an attendant "Please have some more wine, I want this to be a pleasant conversation. The last thing I would want would be for you to feel uncomfortable in my home."

Lord Balto was an interesting character; he was by all accounts a pompous, proud and gluttonous noble. He seemed quite slow and far too closeminded to be considerably intelligent, one could be forgiven for thinking his upbringing had led to him being very lazy and lacking in creativity or foresight. He certainly was corrupt and was lacking in redeemable features, however, hereditary nobility was not without intrigue and plot, in fact it had it in spades, and Lord Balto had been through a few. He was a very high-ranking noble in the political system, if Mikami was to rank him in European terms he would be equivalent to an Arch-Duke.

The man had seen an opportunity for sway with the Military beyond Wall Sina and thus had "sponsored" him. What that meant was that he provided for every need that Mikami required, and in return Teru was within his sphere of influence. Lord Balto was his patron.

The Lord's wealth was mostly hereditary, but he liked to keep his hand firmly on some trading establishments. That was why he wanted influence with the Garrison, as the trading in Wall Rose was proving prosperous due to the influx of people since the fall of Wall Maria.

The Aristocracy often came into conflict with a new breed of rich, the Oligarchs. They were bankers, merchants and all other shades of businessmen who had accumulated large sums of wealth from their businesses. They were almost as rich or as rich as the Aristocracy, with some of them even richer than the oldest and most prestigious families however they were looked down upon for their lack of nobility.

To put it simply, the Oligarchs had a deep rooted influence on Wall Rose with most of them having originated from there, whilst the Aristocracy where the ones in power in Wall Sina. Both wanted influence in each other's holdings, it was Balto's desire to get holdings in Trost that led to Mikami killing off a large amount of the Garrison's leadership in the district. A few of them were in the pockets of the Oligarchy, not the Aristocracy. Those that weren't were still cowards, so it didn't matter anyways.

Balto took a large gulp of his wine before getting to the point "How did it go?"

"Trost's section of the Garrison has been decimated both by the titans and by the purge of the officers. I have had some new ones installed, they can be trusted." answered Mikami calmly.

Balto smiled slightly "I suppose a bribe was out of the question?"

Albrecht nodded "Bribery may be effective, but the problem with buying loyalty is that it can be bought away from you just as quickly. The ones I have installed are competent, ultimately loyal to the King and the Aristocracy and already leagues ahead of the former inept leadership I disposed of. Lord Balto, I understand that you wish to have pliable subordinates, but they must be competent or else future attacks by the titans will be more successful. You won't be able to enjoy your money if you are dead."

Balto nodded "Of course, I understand. You have yet to fail me Albrecht, I know you can be depended upon."

Teru nodded "Thank you."

Balto stared in interest as Mikami withdrew a book and began reading it before him. It was a large thick red book, with a black insignia on it. The marking seemed to be that of a piece of farming equipment and another tool he had seen the men at his forge using.

"What is that Albrecht?"

Teru looked up as he answered "A book on politics, it is in the language that came before."

Balto chortled "Politics? If you're interested I can get you a position on the King's council. I am fed up going to those boring meetings; all we ever do is talk about useless drivel for hours on end before agreeing that things are satisfactory in their current state and going home. We don't eat or drink, it is ridiculous!"

"Would it be possible considering my current position?" asked Mikami slightly interested.

Balto nodded before taking a gulp of his wine "We only meet once a month, and if necessary you can be absent, besides a military and religious figure would be useful on it. You could ensure my affairs are kept in order, and in return would be kept up to date on the running of the Kingdom."

Mikami nodded politely "If you could, I would be most thankful."

Balto smiled "I will have it done with haste."

An attendant approached quickly and leaned beside the Lord whispering into his ear.

Balto widened his eyes in surprise but seemed pleased "Is that so? It is typical of him not to give me forewarning. Have the servants set out the banquet hall, and the chefs are to cook up an excellent meal. My brother won't suffer a poor reception in my house."

Teru finished his drink and placed the book back in his pocket before looking to Balto "That is all I have to report, I will take my leave."

Balto extended his hand in a placating gesture "No, I insist that you stay for dinner. It would be a shame for you not to meet my brother and his beautiful daughter."

Teru weighed his options, he wasn't capable of doing anything else productive, so spending a night at a banquet seemed to be a better option that sitting around at his home doing nothing. He was disgusted by the opulence of the Aristocracy, but Balto would be pleased if he stayed.

"Very well, I thank you for your gracious offer Lord Balto." said Mikami bowing slightly.

Balto clapped his hands "Don't think anything of it my boy! The feast shall be magnificent, no expense will be spared! The finest flesh, wine and treats will be prepared!"

Mikami shook his head in disgust, the Aristocrat was an irredeemable glutton and corrupt as they came. He had his uses however, so he let the man live. He was also decently affable company.

Balto withdrew a handkerchief and began wiping the crumbs and grease off himself. He walked his way towards his greeting room with an air of self-importance but his size made it look as if he was waddling like a penguin.

Teru followed calmly, interested to meet the brother of his sponsor.

Teru began pondering whilst following the man; he was in a militarily stronger position after the battle and subsequent liberation of Trost. Through intimidation, courtesy of himself, and greasing of hands, courtesy of Lord Balto, he had kept his position as the Captain of the Garrison detachment of Trost. It wasn't that important, but it did mean he had three hundred or so men and women under his command, although the day to day running was left to his lieutenants.

His position was also formally recognised by the Survey Corps, who had until that battle regarded him as by all rights a member of the Military Police. It was mostly a political move to express displeasure at his role, but considering the outstanding success amongst the sections of the military he oversaw, these disagreements were swept under the carpet.

He also had a new uniform, which was nice.

Up until that point, he had worn a Military Police uniform with the standard Military Police insignia, as he was the only MP present at the Battle of Trost he was easily distinguishable. His equipment was different, so that also distinguished him in a crowd.

However, as a result of his newly accepted status, he had been re-equipped. They had, as of yet, failed to give him a new combat uniform. He had been told that he would have a new combat uniform within the month, however he now had a new parade uniform to be worn whilst not in combat.

It consisted of a black trench coat with red shoulder boards bearing the crown. Underneath that was a light brown jacket. It also had dark black trousers with red piping down the sides. Then a belt which was to be worn around the coat with a shoulder strap that clipped to his gun's holster. A sheath was also attached, allowing him to keep his sword on hand. Last, but certainly not least according to the tailor, was his customary peaked cap. It bore a personalised insignia; two golden sceptres crossed over a wall with a dagger behind them. It was the symbol of the King's Chaplain-Commissar.

His first thoughts were that he resembled an officer from some of the movies he had seen about World War Two in Europe, and that wasn't a particularly inaccurate comparison. His uniform was oddly modern compared to the rest of the military, seeming like something out of the industrial era rather than the renaissance which seemed to be the nation's current technological standing.

However, it wasn't a surprise, despite having never met the man personally; he was treated as an extension of the King's will. The Military Police were lavishly equipped because of their close link to the crown, so too was he in regards to weaponry and other things. It made since that the King would want him to look modern and intimidating, so as to display his own power.

"Did you hear about the boy who can supposedly turn into a titan?" asked Balto as they walked down the corridor.

Teru nodded "I saw him; I was with the cadets that discovered he was human at the time."

Balto looked interested but pushed it aside "You can tell me about that later, he is being put on trial tomorrow you know?"

Teru perked up a bit "For what?"

"For being a titan and therefore a traitor to the human race, the military police and we, the Aristocracy, fear his power. We should cut our losses and kill him now. The peasants in Wall Rose are already referring to him as a saviour, the last thing we need is them relying on anybody but us. The Head Commander is to be the judge." replied the Lord whilst shaking his head in distress.

Mikami raised his eyebrows in interest "Peasants?"

Balto nodded "Yes… they are proving particularly bothersome this year. Most of the farmland was in the land we lost after Wall Maria, land isn't a problem, but more food is required from them and the levies have been lifted "reasonably". But the insufferable ingrates are complaining about the taxes. They can produce the food, but they say how they aren't being paid enough. They are lucky to be paid at all I say! They aren't even worth the horses in my stable."

Mikami bristled; it was easy to forget that Lord Balto was very much a man who cared for himself first. The Lord was nice and cared for him because Teru's loyalty ensured that Balto was looked after. He was easy to get along with, but his disdain for the peasantry was disheartening.

To be honest, the peasantry had much to complain about. They dealt with famines, mass migrations and disease. The government barely cared for them. Even the Garrison and the Survey Corps had little time for them; their only use to the military had been for the last hundred years as a cheap and reliable source of manpower.

Eren was in a spot of bother, but there was little he could do to help him. It was up to the supreme commander Darius Zackly whether he lived or died.

They soon reached a door with two Military Police guards keeping watch, with a wave of the Aristocrat's hand, the door opened for both Mikami and the Lord.

They entered the room with the warmth of the fire quickly embracing him like a lover; it was quite cold in Europe compared to his original home. Whilst he had technically speaking lived almost as long in Europe, and he was by all rights currently European in ethnicity, he still preferred the heat of his home.

There was a large majestic fireplace with a massive shield above it, the Balto family coat of arms adorning it. It was a symbol of status, and had next to no practical uses.

The red velvet chairs were seated around the fireplace, with two of the five currently occupied. Upon noticing the new arrivals, the man stood up and smiled in greeting.

He was a tall thin figure, whose back was slightly crooked. His eyes were sunken and his hairs were greying, showing that he had reached a venerable age for the time. He wore clothes similar to Lord Balto's with them extravagantly coloured drawing attention to him and showing his status. The robes were purple, and he had a small cape trailing behind coloured a maroon shade.

Balto approached the other man and embraced him "Frederick my brother."

The man returned the embrace "Wolfgang, it is good to see you."

Wolfgang quickly ushered the man back to his seat "Go take a seat; it can't be good for you to stand considering your back."

Frederick laughed "It isn't nearly that bad."

Balto moved to take a seat himself before realising he hadn't introduced Albrecht.

He gestured to Mikami "Frederick, this is Chaplain-Commissar Albrecht Han."

Frederick stood again and shook his hand "I've heard a lot about you."

Teru nodded "It is a pleasure to meet you, my Lord."

Frederick smiled in delight "Manners and he knows his place, honestly the military could do with more like you. What happened to your face?"

"It was burned a few years ago, it is of no consequence." answered Mikami calmly, making sure the noble was satisfied by his response.

Wolfgang nodded "Albrecht this is my beautiful niece Evangeline."

The woman stood and curtsied slightly and Mikami used that moment to study her.

She had black hair and rouge lips and carried herself with the grace of a swan. Her figure was regal and slim with a prim and well-kept face. Her hair was short but undeniable feminine. Her eyes were a dull mix between blue and green yet they shined with intensity and clear thought. She was the most lady-like of all the Duchesses he had met.

"A pleasure to meet you Commissar." she said extending her hand.

Teru recognised that voice.

He took the hand and kissed it lightly "A pleasure to meet you as well my Lady."

He bowed slightly before whispering so only she could hear "Miss To-Oh."

She widened her eyes before quickly regaining her composure.

Frederick smiled crookedly "She is quite stunning isn't she Commissar? I see you are taken already."

Mikami took a moment to search for a response; he decided to settle for a simple compliment "You have a very beautiful daughter my Lord."

"If you want I can betroth her to you, someone as up and coming as yourself would be worthy of her hand." offered Frederick in a tone that made it hard to see if he was joking or not.

A scandalised cry of "Father!" quickly put an end to that.

"Ah well tough luck my boy, don't worry, if I know her she is just playing hard to get."

This time a small slap was heard and the chuckle of the elderly man as his daughter berated him for being so forward.

"So brother how goes the holdings in Trost?" asked Frederick with mirth but almost predatory interest clear in his eyes.

"Superb, the Commissar has installed a more loyal officer corps, who will be more "pliable". Things are going better than ever." assured the short Aristocrat with a wave of his hand.

Frederick nodded and rubbed a hand over his chin which was showing signs of stubble, indicating that something was important enough for him to have neglected his needs. He motioned to Wolfgang "Might I have a look at the ledgers? I need to have a trade deal looked into that was officially off the books."

Wolfgang blinked in recognition "Ah, the untaxed furs? Come with me, I have that recorded." He turned to Mikami and nodded "I am sure you will be fine for a while?"

"Perfectly fine my Lord, go on."

The two brothers exited the room discussing animatedly their ill-gotten gains and their plans with their newly gained territory in Trost.

As the two exited through the large door and soon became a faint echo in the wind, Teru could taste the tension in the room. The woman was staring at him in a calculating and threatened manner, sizing him up and searching for weakness.

Teru sighed "It has been a while hasn't it Takada?"

The woman nodded "It has been a while Mikami, if you hadn't called me by that name I would never have guessed. What do you want from me?"

The former prosecutor cut to the point "Your help."

The former presenter spoke quickly and animatedly "Help? You and Light wrote my name in the Death Note when I last gave you help! How do I know you won't do the same now?"

Teru shook his head "I have no intentions of harming you. Kiyomi, you are of great use to me. If you lend me your help, we can achieve great things. We can create a new world; one free of corruption and evil, one in which all can live."

"Naïve as ever Mikami?" asked Takada in a disappointed tone.

"Naïve? How do you mean?" asked Teru, his eyes narrowing like a snake's.

"The concept of a new world, did you learn nothing from Light? The world doesn't want to change, has never changed and will never change. It doesn't matter if you force it to, it will eventually go back to the way it was. The strong and rich rule the poor and weak. Crime is just an example of the strong ruling over the weak."

Teru grabbed a bottle of wine and poured himself a cup. He drank more now than he did when he lived in Tokyo.

He began sipping whilst carefully choosing his words before turning "And what do you want Takada?"

The woman's eyes lightened up showing her interest however vague "You know what I want, it is the same as it was back then."

Teru nodded "Power, you want power." He drank before looking to her "I have changed Takada, if you will act as I wish, I can accommodate your desires. I will give you your power."

He poured her a cup before handing it to her "I need an accomplice now, someone who I can trust to look after my affairs whilst I attend to other matters."

Takada sipped her cup and smirked slightly "Yes, I have always wanted power, but what more do I need? I am the daughter of a powerful lord. Even you are just an insect compared to me, what could you offer me?"

Teru stared at her in irritation before shaking his head "I possess the most powerful weapon ever known, and you believe I am incapable of giving you more power? I can make sure that more lands and titles are given to you, how does that sound?"

Takada nodded lowly twirling her glass as she mulled over the thought "That most certainly is an interesting offer, but what does a few hundred acres difference make?"

Teru grew tired of the game and decided to try a more aggressive approach "You seem to misunderstand the situation; you will help me willingly or not. If you resist, I will kill you, if you help I will reward you. What more can you ask for?"

Kiyomi's eyes widened "You are bluffing, if you kill me you would have lost a powerful ally. You need me more than I need you."

Mikami shook his head "I don't need anyone other than myself and an accomplice, which I already have. Another assistant would be useful yes, but not essential."

He frowned in distaste "You overestimate a man's stubborness Kiyomi. If a man is defiant, you beat him into submission. If he continues to defy you, he is beaten violent and left with a scar to make sure he remembers it. If he fails once more, and he decides to continue to defy you? Then you cut your losses and kill him."

Takada nodded slightly "A world ruled by fear?"

"Yagami proved that it was possible, if they won't commit crime for fear of death, then of course it is a better world. I will ensure that those who are just are looked after, thus justifying my measures."

They stared at each other for a moment, with each looking at each other for a sign of weakness.

Kiyomi laughed softly "You are as blunt and brutal as ever Mikami, no matter how hard you try to hide it behind a guise of sophistication. It all makes sense now, why you are in the Wall Sina. You want political power, and you are using those who are more gifted in manipulation to attain it for you. You know that brute force can only go so far, so you are using those whom you know are more politically gifted to help you."

Teru frowned "And why does that matter?"

Takada teasingly placed a finger on his chest "You and I aren't so different. You want power just as I do."

The man blinked in confusion "Of course I want power, how can I bring about a perfect world without power?"

She shook her head in exasperation "You don't understand, regardless I will help you as long as we are equals. Is that clear?"

"Crystal clear."

She nodded "Very well, I suppose that we will keep in contact. I have a few private couriers; they will keep me up to date on what we need done."

Teru nodded "Very well, now come, I am sure the banquet will be ready now. Your father and Lord Balto will join us soon enough."

* * *

The Commissar sighed as he climbed into the carriage; he had sat through four hours of watching a ravenous pig consume food at a rate that could cause a small famine. Balto's brother, despite his gauntness, proved to be a voracious eater as well. Only Takada and he himself had eaten in a reasonable fashion.

"Back home Sir?" asked the carriage driver, a short man by the name of Karl, whose build and shape indicated he had been a peasant at one point. He was assigned as Mikami's carriage driver, and in return his family were allowed to live on Mikami small estate and live in luxury considering their social status.

"Yes, with haste please Karl." said Mikami, he had wanted to avoid drinking any more than he had but with his attempt to calm Takada with alcohol and Balto insisting he have three more goblets of wine on top of drinking with him before the banguet had led to his senses feeling very dull.

Teru leaned back against his seat; he could barely hear or see anything. As he felt himself beginning to relax and his senses grew drowsy he heard a sharp metallic sound.

He forced himself up before he felt something pressing against his throat.

"Ah-ah. I would advise against moving Commissar, you and I need to have a talk."

Teru attempted to turn his head before a heavy punch persuaded him not to "No looking at me. I can't have you knowing exactly who I am can I?"

Teru shook of his daze "Who are you and what do you want?"

"You don't know who I am, but I know who you are Teru Mikami."

The Fourth Kira felt himself seize up in fear, was this Mello or Matt? They would kill him!

"Ah, so that got a reaction out of you. You thought destroying that cult of yours and faking your death would completely disguise who you are?" asked the man with clear mirth. "I am afraid not my heretical friend, you have fooled the Monarchy but not myself."

"Who are you?" asked Teru forcefully, trying to elicit a response from him.

"I am the Royal Spymaster, but that is all you need to know about me. My name and face do not matter."

"And what do you want?"

"Your cooperation Teru, you are quite the marksman, and to be honest you are one of the few people who can successfully deal with a few housekeeping issues that myself and my clients need looked after."

"And if I refuse?"

"I'll kill you know and then I will kill your adopted son, Armin was it? I will make him squeal like a pig. Or maybe I will kill him in front of you? Needless to say, it won't end well for you or him." said the man with a chuckle.

Teru didn't need to think that over.

"Very well, I will help you." assured Mikami in a defeated and humiliated tone, he could not believe this. He couldn't even kill the man because he didn't know what he looked like. He hadn't been this helpless in four hundred years.

A piece of paper was forced into Teru's hands "I need this family dealt with. You will leave no survivors, or else I will kill both you and Armin. Understood?"

Teru nodded slowly "Understood."

The man laughed loudly "Good, I guess we are done here. Have a good night Commissar."

The man dropped out of the carriage and when Teru turned to look for him, the darkness and his own drowsiness had effectively obscured him.

Teru growled in anger, how did he get into the carriage without Karl noticing? Come to think of it the driver had said nothing during that entire exchange.

Karl had betrayed him.

Teru withdrew his pistol, his grip was unsteady, but he was at point blank range. The chances of missing were slim.

The driver began to speak in a blubbering tone "I am so sorry sir; he said he would have his people rape my wife and kill my children. I had to do it."

Teru stared and clicked back the hammer "And you think that excuses you?"

The man shook his head "Please sir, don't kill me!"

Teru glared at him for another moment before his features softened "When we get back home, pack your bags and find somewhere else to stay. I will give you money to survive, so don't worry about that. I can't have someone whose family can be threatened as my driver."

The man nodded rapidly "Thank you sir, you are too kind."

Teru leaned back, this was absurd. He had to figure out how to keep Takada pleased and happy; keep Armin safe and relatively well looked after despite wanting to join the Survey Corps, continue jockeying for political power in the Kingdom and finally he had to follow the orders of a man he didn't even know or else everything he wanted would be destroyed.

Mikami roared in anger and slammed his fist against a wooden part of the carriage.

Yet another complication.


	13. Loss of Innocence

Mello sighed as he stared out at the field, it was a dark night, and to be honest it was rather chilly as well. This was the night where each cadet would be choosing what branch of the military that that they would spend the rest of their, possibly quite short, lives.

It was a forgone conclusion as to what section of the military he would be going to, he didn't fancy tangling with Titans again, and to be honest cowardly or not he was picking the safest option. That and Mikami could be easier reached from the Military Police, that was important too he supposed.

He looked at the small glow in the darkness by the tree, like a firefly in the dark. However, the smoke detracted from the beauty of the sight. He sighed again, thirty minutes, how could Matt do that for thirty minutes on a dark, freezing night?

"Matt, hurry up! I have a limit to my patience!"

There was no reply.

"For God's sake, if you want to give yourself lung cancer, do it at another time!"

Upon hearing this the redhead turned around and smiled for a second before swiftly returning to his previous position and continuing to puff away at his cigarette.

Mello narrowed his eyes and groaned in anger, but ultimately did nothing. He knew as well as any that Matt wouldn't quit unless it was urgent. And to be honest, both he and Matt knew what he wanted wasn't important.

He just wanted to run over the basics of their plan that was all. They had it all worked out, they would join the Military Police, and slowly but surely work their way up. They would "liberate" documents here and there for their own uses, see if anyone matched what they thought was Mikami's modus operandi or acted like him. Mello remembered what he looked like, so it was a matter of slicing the man's throat when he saw him, well perhaps in a more subtle manner, but the idea was the same.

The question was could he do it? Would they find the bastard? And it wasn't as if they were hunting a rabbit, to put it bluntly, if Mikami found out what they looked like, Mello could say without a shadow of a doubt that they were screwed.

Matt finished his cigarette and exhaled in a relaxed manner before turning around to walk back to Mello.

He waved sarcastically "Honey, I'm home."

Mello was upon him like white on rice "I am not your honey, and why the hell do you take so long? You and I both know that you go through one of those in two minutes easy, but just to piss me off you take like eight of them at one time."

Matt lazily grinned "Well, let's look at this logically; I have been smoking for hundreds of years now, so you could say I have built up a bit of a tolerance to their effects. So, stay with me now, I smoke more to get the same effects."

"I don't care how much off a tolerance your "spirit" has built up; your body hasn't changed. Unless you want to cough up your lungs on to the ground at some point in the future, I would advise that you cut down on the cancer sticks."

Matt conceded to point with a nod before tapping his chin in thought, he leaned in towards Mello "Say, you said something about my body not changing, that gave me a thought."

Mello blinked "Yeah?"

"Well, as you know we look slightly different, we were always Caucasian, but you and I are both a bit paler I've noticed."

"Get to the point."

"Please tell me we are not looking for a Japanese male."

"What?"

"Please tell me, that we are looking for Mikami based on what he looked like hundreds of years ago."

Mello's eyes widened "Shit."

How could he have not thought of this? It was entirely likely that the man looked very different; he had literally changed ethnicity. Not only that, but who was to say that he hadn't altered himself in some way to become harder to find. For all Matt and he knew, they could have talked to the man in the last month and they wouldn't have a clue.

"Well, now that we have that clarified, I would advise that we stop doing that, 'cause I don't think we are going to find him that way."

Mello growled in irritation "Don't be such a smartass, we aren't going to find him if you just sit there mouthing off to me."

Matt smirked slightly before nodding "Fine, so I guess we need to be on guard for anyone who acts like Mikami as well, I guess that is more reliable than hunting him based on looks. I hope he didn't have a personality change whilst dead."

Mello shook his head "No chance, if he is back doing this again, he is still the same psychopath he always has been."

"Now, if I was Mikami, what would I want?" asked Matt trying to get into the man's head.

Mello joined in "He will want to get rid of "evil" in the world, but he doesn't have a computer or anything to help him do that easily."

"Is he stupid enough to not realise that he can't literally kill every criminal?"

"Chances are even if he was stupid enough to believe that at first, he has likely realised the error of his ways."

Matt rubbed his chin in though "So he needs names, but also needs a way to influence the people of the Kingdom."

The wind began to blow slightly, bringing in an easterly breeze that brought chill with it.

Mello looked at him "There is only one way he can change the way the Kingdom works."

Both of them spoke at the same time "The Government."

Matt smirked "It's obvious now; Mikami is probably trying to thrust himself into the political world. So we now just need to look out for some up and coming politician who is a bit zealous and we have our man."

"It's not that simple, Mikami isn't going to talk his way into power. He was always brutish. He will find his way into power, but not via legitimate means." Mello waved off his suggestion with his hand.

"Well, that does narrow things down slightly." said Matt with a short nod "What is the bet he is trying to get inside our heads as well?"

"I don't bet on certainties."

* * *

"Damn this heat." muttered Mikami in discomfort, as he found himself stumbling through the markets of the Mitras District.

The reason for his wandering was because it was a social taboo to ride through Mitras on horseback unless you were an on-duty member of the Military Police or a high ranking nobleman. He was neither of those things, so he had to make do with walking until he reached the outskirts of the district.

Unfortunately, it was a very hot day today, and the sun was beating on his back like a drunken boxer. Japan was hot yes, but it was also quite humid at least during the summer, which he actually found strangely pleasant. But here? The European summer had no humidity, only the sun relentlessly shining on to his back. He was certain he had got sunburned, on his scar. It was painful.

"Dampierres?" muttered Mikami as he looked at the piece of paper that the spymaster had handed him. They were a noble family based in the estate of Galicia, not far from the boundaries of the actual city.

It was a simple thing really, he had it already planned out and organised, and it was now only a matter of merely walking and getting himself to the estate. The Dampierres were not much different from the rest of the nobility, all of them wanted to get their hands into the honey pot that was the Military Police. So when he had written a letter expressing interest in getting to "know" them, they didn't need to be told twice. Any high ranking Officer in the Military Police presented an excellent opportunity.

The Dampierres owned a cotton plantation, and had a monopoly on luxury cloths. However, their plantation was in Wall Rose, meaning that it had to face several tariffs from the government before their shipment reached the inner wall. These taxes were expensive, and the Dampierres would certainly want to avoid them. Therefore, he playing the role of the corrupt Military Police Officer could get them past this little bump on the road, for a price.

He had no such intention of doing so, the Spymaster wanted the family dead, why the Spymaster did was ultimately not his concern. He had far too much at risk to let some pompous aristocratic family stop him.

He saw the concrete jungle beginning to clear, meaning that he was reaching the end of his trek on foot.

He looked around and noticed a man waving him over to a carriage, likely the transport the Dampierres had dispatched for him. He nodded to the man before approaching him with haste, the sooner he was out of the sun, the better.

"You are Albrecht Han, yes?" asked the man, a grizzled fellow who had likely been around, and in the employ of the Dampierres, for a long time.

"Yes." said Mikami calmly, his tone indicating his displeasure in waiting.

"Hop on, we'll be right off." said the man gesturing to the carriage. It was luxurious, and more importantly, fully enclosed.

Mikami sighed lowly in relief at the prospect of escaping the sun, and quickly climbed in.

Another man was inside, well-groomed and dressed, but with a look on his face that quickly dispelled any illusions of nobility. No matter how luxurious his white garments were, the look of patience and well-practiced friendliness were only common to conmen and butlers. Mikami was in favour of the man being the latter.

The man smiled and extended his hand in greeting "Good afternoon sir, a pleasure to meet you. I am the Dampierres' personal assistant and butler."

Mikami blinked and activated his Shinigami eyes.

 **Louis Beaumont**

Teru nodded and grasped the hand shaking it cautiously "Albrecht Han, a pleasure to meet you as well."

The man smiled at the returning of the courtesy, before continuing "I wish to extend to you the warmest welcomes that the illustrious Dampierre family has to offer, although there is some bad news."

Bad news, this certainly caught Mikami's attention, he hoped it was just the result of over exaggeration on the behalf of nobles, a common occurrence he had found.

The butler frowned "Lord and Lady Dampierre were involved in other matters and left a week ago, because of a mistake this meeting was scheduled too early, as they are due to arrive back very late tonight and will likely want to rest when they return. If you find it acceptable, we would be honoured to accommodate you."

Mikami nodded slowly "That is acceptable."

"Ah very good sir, the Dampierres will see you first thing in the morning."

Mikami slowly leaned back against the seat, listening politely as the man tried to idly talk to entertain his guest. He was however planning his actions to night, he had already scoped the outlying area out, it was a matter of guesswork on the inside of the building however.

Mikami felt himself begin to tire and he leaned even further back, letting himself rest, for he knew it would be a long day.

* * *

Armin sighed as he read his book; it was too much to take in. Eren was a titan? Teru was alive and kicking? And he was the Commissar? What else would happen?

He hadn't seen Eren since the trial, which he had luckily resulted in acquittal from all charges, courtesy of Mankind's Strongest Soldier knocking Eren halfway into next week.

Mikasa had been irate, but that was always one of her problems, you could insult her or her friends or even try to kill them and she would remain cool headed, but Eren? The moment Eren came into the equation, the gloves were off.

The blond haired soldier had no clue as to where Mikasa was; she stormed off and didn't speak to him much of the time. She needed to see Eren that much was certain, he just didn't know when it was going to happen. He hoped it was soon, she was intolerable in this state.

He vaguely remembered an idiom Mikami had taught him "speak of the devil and he shall appear" and it couldn't be truer for his friend had indeed walked into his dorm.

Armin set down the book he was reading "Mikasa?"

She wasted no time "Armin we need to talk, do you have a minute?"

Armin nodded "Alright, sit down and talk, I'll listen."

Mikasa propped herself on one of the other beds before speaking "So I was thinking, about "him" you know?"

"Eren?" Armin ventured.

The girl shook her head "No Teru."

"What of him?"

"Armin, you know him better than any of us, what does he want? Why is he in the military?"

Armin sighed leaning back "I knew that it wouldn't be that easy to get rid of him remember, back when we first enlisted. Remember what I said then?"

Mikasa did and smiled slightly "Yeah, you said he would hunt you to the ends of the earth."

Armin laughed slightly "And there is your answer, Mikami wasn't ever going to accept us leaving his sight, I should have guessed he would find us. I would have never gone along with it had Eren not suggested it."

"Eren does have a way of convincing people to go along with his ideas."

"That he does, but regardless according to the Reverend himself he was only focused on finding us, now that he has he doesn't really know what to do. I am sure he only means well."

"But Armin he is the Commissar!" protested Mikasa with vigour "Regardless of his help at Trost, if even half of the rumours about him are true then Mikami is even scarier than I first thought, and even I'll admit me and Eren were always terrified of him."

The boy kept quiet about that, the rumours of what had happened in Trost has begun to seep in to the lower ranks. The military hierarchy was in turmoil, Teru had eliminated an entire section of the officer corps, and they were powerless to stop him. Pixis had tried to have him put on tribunal but the King overruled it, which according to whisperings among the NCOs, had the Military Commanders and even the Commander-in-Chief Darius Zackly worried about the extent of the Commissar's power and his lack of accountability. He was also worryingly popular amongst the lower ranks from his exploits at Trost in saving the Cadets.

"I don't think we should worry about the politics and rumours Mikasa, we are fighting to save humanity from the titans. We need to remember why we all enlisted in the first place." warned Armin raising his hand to silence her protest.

The other soldier quietly assented with a grunt before standing up.

Armin quirked his eyebrow "Leaving so soon Mikasa?"

She nodded "I don't like any of this Armin: what is happening to Eren, Mikami coming back and the Colossal and Armoured Titans returning have gotten me all riled up. I can't relax, so I go and do odd jobs to take my mind off it."

Armin grinned and lifted his book "You could try reading."

The girl made a mock disgusted face "Armin, you know me better. I will only read if it is useful, not for pleasure."

Armin's face straightened and he leaned forward "Mikasa seriously I need to ask you something important."

Mikasa leaned in to listen in a concerned matter "What is it?"

"Are the rumours true?"

She suddenly looked worried "What rumours?"

Armin cracked a smile "That you have a six-pack?"

Mikasa slapped Armin up the side of the head "You really should stick to being a bookworm Armin; I prefer that to a smart ass."

She turned to walk out before turning and nodding "Yeah they are true." And with that she left.

Armin shook his head in disbelief before picking up his book and starting over from where he left off.

 _"Eren you really have your hands full."_

* * *

And here is your room sir, be sure to ring the bell if you want anything. I bid you good evening." the butler bowed deeply before scurrying from the room quickly.

Teru paid the man's exit no heed, instead looking out the window which faced the courtyard and entrance to the estate. He stayed completely still watching the yard like a bird of prey. The Dampierres should be arriving soon; it was either late in the night or early in the morning. He would rather kill them at night, he had to make it obvious, and so the Death Note was out of the question. Even if he had them killed in very specific ways, he was worried that it would draw unnecessary and unwanted attention. If the existence of the Death Note was revealed, it would have immediate and far-reaching ramifications unless the information was contained.

He adjusted his cap slightly by the peak before reassuming his watch of the courtyard through the window. He was skilled at zoning out and yet maintaining his awareness. It was an oxymoron yes, but he couldn't describe it in any other way. He could retreat into his thoughts with nothing else bothering and yet still keep an eye on the situation at hand. A useful skill.

He recounted the letter from the spymaster to himself "Enter the Dampierre's household, kill the family and all of the staff. Leave no survivors. Do not worry about clean-up, my people will deal with that."

His eyes immediately swerved to observe the carriage that had pulled up in the courtyard. The Dampierres had arrived it seemed. He would leave it another half hour, so that they might retreat to their chambers and sleep.

Mikami pulled away from the window and sat on the bed, he pulled out his flintlock pistol and began servicing it, he wouldn't likely be using it, but it was a habit of his to keep it in useable service at any and all times. You could never know when it might be needed.

Mikami closed his eyes and patiently waited.

After a period of time, his internal clock informed him that a half hour had passed.

Mikami rang the bell and waited patiently for the response.

A young maid entered in a curtsied slightly "Might I help you sir?"

Mikami sighed "I am sorry."

With one stroke he slit her throat watching apathetically as she fell to the ground in a pool of her blood with her life leaking out of her.

Mikami stepped over her before walking down to where he knew the kitchen was, he suspected that there was a staff room down there.

He walked calmly, his boots clacking as he marched down the stairs and the hallway into the stone kitchen. Without a word to the cook who queried the reason for his appearance he stabbed the man in the heart, before turning to the room which was likely the staff room.

He slowly opened the door, revealing the butler Beaumont talking and laughing with five other servants around a table.

The man turned smiling at him "Can I help you sir?" The smile however faded as he noticed the blood trailing down Teru's coat.

The butler jolted up "Everyone run!"

Mikami lunged forward plunging the sabre straight through his throat before turning to the other shocked servants and dispatching them one by one.

One of the heavier set men, likely the gardener, put up a resistance and struggled with Teru trying to use a serving plate as an impromptu shield. It didn't work but the way he brought it up prevented Mikami from seeing where in his throat he was slicing, causing him to slice the jugular which sprayed blood on to Teru's face.

Teru wiped his eyes before leaving the room and repeating the process with each and every room he entered.

He had cleared the lower floors, and had yet to actually find Lord and Lady Dampierre, but he was running out of rooms, there were only two left. They had to be in one of them, he had been relatively quiet; chances were that they didn't have a clue that he was coming, which made things significantly easier for him.

Teru slowly opened the door and walked into the room, lavishly furnished and extravagant in design, there was no chance it wasn't the Dampierre's bedroom.

His eyes trailed towards the bed in the middle of the room and the two figures under its clothes. It was dark, so he couldn't make out what they looked like, but it didn't matter. They were dead anyways, it didn't matter in what order.

Teru pulled out his sword before pulling back the bedclothes and in one motion raising his sword to plunge it into the flesh of whoever was there… only to see two pillows plumped up lying there instead of people. Teru's eyes widened and he ducked just in time to dodge the sword that would have cut off his head.

Mikami swung round and immediately locked swords with his sword, a well built and regal man, not what he was expecting Lord Dampierre to look like.

The man growled in anger "So you are the cur that was supposed to be discussing the tariff with me? How dare you come into my house and slaughter my servants and attempt to kill my family?"

Teru looked at his stance, and began probing for weaknesses immediately beginning to try and strike the man, only to find himself unable to push past the defence the man was putting up.

The aristocrat noticed his adversary's bother "Perhaps the Military Police are used to looking after fat and balding noblemen, but I am neither of those things Assassin!"

The Commissar shifted his stance favouring a more defensive approach he decided to taunt "You do like to prattle on Dampierre, if only you expended as much energy fighting as you do talking."

The man was not baited "I am afraid that a pathetic swordsman such as you isn't worth my effort."

Teru nodded slightly before sighing "You are a fool to fight me; you and I both know that you are tired. You should have run while you could."

The aristocrat frowned "Doesn't matter how tired I am if I kill you with one stroke."

"And that failed already did it not?" said Mikami with a deadpan expression, he may be dealing with a skilled swordsman, but he was an arrogant noble none the less.

The man eyed Mikami's side before striking there only to meet Mikami's sword, the man tried to other, only for the same to occur. This made him begin striking viciously and rapidly putting Teru firmly on the defence.

Mikami took a step back as he blocked another slice from the man's sword "Tell me, where is Lady Dampierre?"

The Lord roared in anger bringing a savage strike against Teru's guard nearly breaking it.

This shocked Mikami who immediately disengaged retreating to the far end of the room, before reassuming his stance. Time for another approach.

Teru advanced slightly before swinging his sword in a two handed grip and pushing the man's sabre to the side. Unfortunately his plan quickly failed as the man wrenched the sword out of Teru's grip.

The aristocrat smirked "Not so confident now are you wretch?"

Outwardly Mikami remained calm, but inside he was nervous. He needed to get the sword out of the man's hand. If not, then he was dead, and so was Armin.

He felt himself back up against a wardrobe, leaving him nowhere to go. The aristocrat seized the opportunity trying to plunge his sword into Mikami's chest.

Teru stayed still until the last possible moment before ducking to the side, watching the man get his sword stuck inside the wardrobe. Before he could pull it free Mikami powerfully kicked the man straight in his arm with his boot, listening to the sickening crack that came afterwards.

The noble scream in pain and let go of his sword, leaving him at Mikami's mercy.

Teru grabbed him by his collar and slammed him up against the wall "The spymaster wants you dead. Why?"

The man choked "T-the spymaster? That slime, after everything I did for him!"

"If you want your revenge, tell me everything I need to know about him."

Lord Dampierre nodded "His name is Wilhelm Dreyfus; he is the pocket of several Barons involved in the narcotics trade. I let them smuggle opium in my cotton caravans until recently. The risk was too high. He makes too much money from it, so he wants me dead so that his clients can continue to do so."

Teru nodded slowly "And what should I do about him?"

"You can do nothing; Dreyfus has too many connections and resources to be dealt with. Nothing short of the King could stop him." answered the man before laughing "You have no chance."

Teru nodded "Very well, I will do away with you now."

The man raised his unbroken hand "Wait! Wait I was wrong! If you let my family live, I'll tell you another thing you might want to know, it could help you deal with him!"

Teru paid little attention to the first part of the statement instead focusing on the latter he motioned to the man. "Continue."

"He associates with the Balto family heavily, if you could get them in a pinch, you might get him."

That made things significantly easier, all he needed to do was persuade Balto to organise a meeting with the man and he could kill him them. He still had to kill Lady Dampierre now, it would take time to organise this. He couldn't afford to let them live.

"Make it quick." muttered the man closing his eyes.

Teru nodded slowly before reaching down and snapping the man's neck snuffing out his life.

He retrieved his sword before turning to the closet and opening it seeing a woman crying and nestled inside without saying a word he stabbed her and left her to die closing the closet behind him.

As he exited the room he picked up and sheathed his sword and wiped some of the blood from his face, he was drenched in it. He always had been. He closed the door behind him. The deed was done; he could go home and plan on how to deal with Dreyfus. He also needed to work on his swordsmanship; he was nowhere near as good as he should be.

As he turned to head down the staircase and leave he felt someone pull on his coat and he turned round to see a little blond-haired girl in a night gown staring up at him in curiosity.

She smiled "Who are you?"

Teru felt his jaw open as he realised the implications of what he was seeing. It couldn't be.

"You mustn't talk much, don't worry about me, I don't mind people talking to me. Are you a new servant? Do you know my name? No? I am Anne Dampierre, it is nice to meet you." said the girl innocently as smiled at him.

Teru shook his head, this couldn't be happening, this couldn't be happening! The note said to kill all the Dampierres!

"Can I go in and see my mummy and daddy? They told me to stay in my room, but everything seems ok."

The girl had no idea.

Teru knelt down slowly and took her hand "Why don't you come back to your room, you can see them in the morning, they are sleeping right now."

The girl frowned childishly before nodding and skipping back into her room.

Teru choked slightly as he leaned against the wall, he had to kill this girl to save Armin and himself? Why was this happening? He was justice, he didn't kill the innocent. Lord Dampierre was a corrupt noble, and his wife was the same, the butlers and servants were equally guilty considering that they served him, but a child? A damned child!

Teru got up and walked into the room, where the girl had already hopped into her bed, and stared at him in interest. He took a seat in a chair and sat there for a long time.

"You don't talk a lot do you sir?" asked the girl staring at him with blue eyes.

Mikami coughed and nodded "Not a lot, no."

He felt like he was going to be sick, this was impossible. He swore on everything he held dear that he would get Dreyfus back for this. He would see him burn in hell.

"I can't get to sleep, will you tell me a story?" asked the girl in a pleading manner.

Teru stared at her "I never was very good at telling stories."

"Please?"

Teru felt himself physically quaking but he steeled himself "Once upon a time there was a man."

The girl settled back and listened.

"This man wanted nothing more to make the world a better place, but he ran into a problem."

The girl sat up "What problem?"

Mikami raised his hand and motioned for her to calm "He realised that if he wanted to save the world, he would have to do something very bad as well. So he sat and toiled thinking this over, and after it all the man still didn't know what to do."

"I think the man should do the bad thing." said the girl solemnly.

"Why?"

"Because if it makes the entire world good, then it won't matter anymore. My daddy always says "the ends justify the means" and he explained what it means too. The man needs to understand that."

Teru nodded and frowned sadly "Yes and the man did do the bad thing, and he never forgot it, but he promised that he would make up for it."

The girl smiled slightly "Then that is all he can do. Sir, I still can't get to sleep."

Mikami looked at her "My mother taught me a way to get to sleep, here let me show you. First close your eyes."

The girl dutifully did so.

"Then count in your head to ten while I place this pillow on you."

Teru slowly grabbed a pillow and placed it over the girl's face, before withdrawing his flintlock pistol.

A muffled voice chimed out "I counted to ten!"

He closed his eyes and pulled the trigger.

He stared at the reddened pillow, he was going to pull it off of her, but he couldn't bear to. He grabbed a hold of her arm and checked the pulse… none.

Teru slowly trudged out of the room before he felt his lips parting and his eyes twitching he brought his fist against a wall cracking it "Dreyfus!"

Teru began smashing himself against the wall hitting and breaking every ornament in sight continually roaring the spy master's name. His blood was mixing with the blood he had spilled.

Teru collapsed against a wall before laughing slightly "Of course, of course I should have known. There is no black and white, only shades of grey, why couldn't I see that." He leaned his head back and began laughing harder "Good and bad don't exist in this world. There is only grey."

The man's laughter died down and he roared like an animal "Why the hell couldn't I see that?"

Teru laid his head against the wall and narrowed his eyes "If this world won't act like I want it to then I will make it do so. I am going to kill every last one of them. The aristocrats and the oligarchs: they are the reason for all of this! If it weren't for their power plays none of this would happen. This damned world will play by my rules!"

Teru grabbed the wall to steady himself before heading downstairs. He grabbed a candlestick and threw it against a curtain igniting it. He didn't care what Dreyfus said about cleaning up. He didn't want to see this anymore.

He needed to renew his efforts; none of this would have happened if he had worked harder. It was time he leveraged himself into government, and he wanted it done within the month. Dreyfus was going to be dead within the month as well; he would make sure of it. When he was done with the man, he was going to think Hell is paradise.

Teru solemnly promised staring up at the sky as he left "You will die by my hand Dreyfus. You will suffer."


End file.
